Benoid Sokal

When Harry Sokal played his interpretation of Wolfert Brederode's composition Trinity, ten years before the appearance of this CD, both Sokal and Brederode had the feeling that they had something worth developing. Some years passed however before they could make a joint recording. Following several international tours, the celebrated Austrian saxophonist baptised this project at the start of the new millennium. The duo was born and quickly earned its first laurels at its concerts. Sokal describes the end product of the work on this album as "the expression of sensual interaction with each other". In fact, it is a dialogue between Sokal, with his poetically expressive saxophone sound, and lyrical Brederode, with his crystal clear, sometimes dark piano sound, and is guided by their underlying wish "to spend some time together, telling stories".

Vienna Art Orchestra - Duke Ellington's Sound of Love (1999) {TCB 99802}
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© 1999 TCB Records | TCB 99802
Jazz / Big Band / Experimental Big Band / Avant-Garde Jazz

One might think this disc would focus on the more romantic side of the Ellington-Strayhorn catalog. But don't let the title fool you. Mathias Ruegg's large band gives tunes like "Red Garter" and "Smada" a playful, blasting treatment. Particularly noteworthy is the transformation of "Mood Indigo" into something of a drunkard's lament, with a deep, wobbling trombone line. It's a labor of love that some Ellington purists might find a bit appalling, but it deserves kudos for its new approach.