It’s easy to forget this is a bass led group because everyone’s playing so beautifully. They’ve all been leaders of their own groups but then you hear this really cool bass solo.
April Records
Jesper Thorn – Double Bass, Electronics; Marc Méan – Piano, Electronics; Tobias Wiklund – Cornet; Cecilie Strange – Tenor Saxophone; Andreas Bernitt – Violin, Viola
Dragør, Denmark is a peaceful, laid-back coastal town with a lot of historical charm. Jesper Thorn grew up there. He wrote all the music on Dragør but there are no vocals, so you won’t hear stories about life on an island near Copenhagen.
The album’s press release says there were strained relations between father and son. An asthmatic young man was being brought up Catholic and having feelings of not belonging.
Tensions, bad feelings? I didn’t get that. A lot of beautiful music. Melancholy? Sure.
‘About Fathers and Sons’ starts out slowly, quietly, each instrument nodding into place like waves bumping the edge of a beach. Though pretty, there’s something sad.
‘About Fathers,’ the last song on the album, is different. Everyone’s soloing, talking back and forth. It’s happier.
‘Upside Down’ is pure delicate melody. Everyone tries playing prettier than the next; and, they all succeed. Cecelia Strange has several records under her own name. She’s a beautiful fit to this group. She likes the lower register of her horn. I like the way her whimsical melody lines are both breathy and earthy.
Drago (Part 1) could be a simple folk song. It’s an easy sounding back and forth between players. Electronic waves back up Tobias Wiklund’s cornet. You don’t see a lot of cornets listed on the back of album covers. It’s always a trumpet. The cornet produces a warmer and more mellow tone than a trumpet and for the music Jesper Thorn’s written? It’s perfect.
Everyone lets their voice be heard on Dragør (Part2). It’s the same pleasant sounding beginning of a folk song you think you’ve heard somewhere before. The collaboration between classically trained Andreas Bernitt’s violin and Marc Méan’s gorgeous piano is a joy. The song builds to almost a cacophony, but, it’s a pleasant cacophony.
It’s easy to forget this is a bass led group because everyone’s playing so beautifully. They’ve all been leaders of their own groups but then you hear this really cool bass solo.
Dragør is a peaceful, laid-back album. Jesper Thorn has written the music, and then gathered musicians to play his compositions that you’ll want to listen to often.
