Larsen Opening

Seal the Deal & Let's Boogie may be the album that finally makes Volbeat rock & roll superstars in the U.S – they are everywhere else. That said, the follow-up to 2013's brilliant Outlaw Gentlemen & Shady Ladies may seem, at least for longtime fans, a surprising choice for a breakthrough. Ex-Anthrax guitarist Rob Caggiano joined the band after producing and playing on the 2013 date, and he cements his position here. He co-produced this with vocalist Michael Poulson and Jacob Hansen. His original riffs and mad shredding have made the band's sound – already unique – iconic. While the record's title – as wonderfully strange and catchy as its predecessors – signifies a hard-partying set, there is something else afoot here.

Ruphus managed to keep the same lineup on consecutive albums for the first time with 'Flying Colours' but once again the group seems to be searching for a sound, which generally means in search of commercial success…

Copenhagen Art Ensemble - Shape Of Twelve - Music by Lotte Anker (1997) {Dacapo DCCD9430}
EAC rip (secure mode) | FLAC (tracks)+CUE+LOG -> 330 Mb | MP3 @320 -> 135 Mb
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© 1997 Dacapo | DCCD9430
Jazz / Modern Jazz / Jazz Sinfonietta / Small Combo

SHAPE OF TWELVE consists of 8 compositions by saxophonist Lotte Anker (who, along with trombonist Ture Larsen, is one of the artistic directors of the Copenhagen Art Ensemble). The works were composed during 1988-1997 and are mostly of medium length (five tracks clock in between 6 and 7 minutes). The Copenhagen Art Ensemble is described in the liner notes as a “’jazz sinfonietta’ – that is, a group of about a dozen musicians combining the complexity of the traditional big band with the mobility of the small combo.” (Jakob Levinsen) This is a very accurate assessment of the music on this disc and is a capsule review in itself. The instrumentation of the Copenhagen Art Ensemble is essentially 3 trumpets, 4 saxophones, 3 trombones, piano (acoustic and electric), acoustic bass, and drums (with the winds players doubling on flugelhorn, clarinet, flute, and tuba).