Frank Gratkowski Loft Exile V CD

(2-CD set) On the occasion of the 40th birthday of Frank Gratkowski in 2003, the Moers Jazz Festival and The Loft Koeln put together The Loft Exile V project in which Frank Gratkowski could realize his ideas. For this project Frank invited a dream line-u

Personnel: Frank Gratkowski (saxophone); Tobias Delius (saxophone); Herb Robertson (trumpet); Wolter Wierbos (trombone); Wilbert de Joode, Dieter Manderscheid (double bass); Gerry Hemingway, Michael Vatcher (drums).
This double-CD documents two concerts held to celebrate multi-reedist Frank Gratkowski's 40th birthday. The music is comprised of free improvisations, with the nearly 64-minute "The Morning Beckons" performed one night by a septet and saxophonist Tobias Delius making the group an octet for three pieces on the next night. The three (sometimes four) horns leave space for each other and mostly engage in sound explorations. The most interesting playing is usually by the two bassists, who are supported by two drummers. Sometimes they walk and keep time but other times they play very freely and create unusual sounds. Due to the length of the music and the fact that everything is freely improvised, there are stretches where not that much is happening and the performance meanders. But in general there are enough moments of interest to keep followers of avant-garde jazz alert and stimulated. ~ Scott Yanow

Down Beat (p.73) - 4 stars out of 5 - "Nothing feels sloppy or self-absorbed; near-telepathy always dictates the ebb and flow. There's pure energy, brass effects, supersonics and moments that dig deep down into the blues..."