Saturday, January 7, 2012

3.) Skala - Mathias Eick (Top Jazz Picks '11)













Skala
Mathias Eick
ECM Records.


The music of Mathias Eick struck me as a bit hokey on account of his premeditated, tightly organized arrangements. You see, I first heard Skala while inundated with a number of hard-bop records that championed improvisation above all else, so it took me some time to acclimatize to this layered, Norwegian vibe. And even if some of Eick’s trumpet work still comes off as overwrought to my ears, it’s countered by a smart ensemble capable of articulating mournfulness through motion.

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