
- Artist(s): Theo Bleckmann, Ben Monder, Christopher Tordini, John Hollenbeck
- Summary: The debut full-length solo release for the composer/vocalist who has worked with such artists as Laurie Anderson, Philip Glass and John Zorn, is backed by Ben Monder, John Hollenbeck, Shai Maestro and Chris Tordini.
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- Record Label: ECM
- Genre(s): Jazz, Avant-Garde, Vocal Jazz, Avant-Garde Jazz, Modern Jazz Vocals
- More Details and Credits »
Score distribution:
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Positive: 4 out of 4
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Mixed: 0 out of 4
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Negative: 0 out of 4
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MixmagFeb 17, 2017Bleckmann rope-a-dopes like a voice boxer between the wobbly punches of ambient jazz and chilly chamber tones. [No. 139, p.53]
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Feb 17, 2017Though he avoids dissonance for its own sake, Bleckmann amazingly never descends into treacle, nor does he indulge in the usual nonsense syllables of typical scat singing. Instead he forges his own distinctive path on Elegy, taking the concept of the human voice as instrument to new and shimmering places.
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Feb 17, 2017Bleckmann’s subjects are mortality and hope, but his lightness of touch and the band’s independence (several pieces are instrumentals) ensure that startling music-making is the overarching theme.
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Feb 17, 2017Produced by Manfred Eicher, Elegy fits ECM's aesthetic to a T. More than that, however, it reveals Bleckmann's creative authority as he searches the limits of both sound and silence for an expression that utters its own name. The album is a gentle wonder; it bodes well for an enduring relationship between artist and label.