Izvajalec: Ulterior Lux
Založba: Fazzul Music
Izid: year
Ocena: 4.2/5
Ulterior Lux je projekt, ki je delo treh zelo talentiranih glasbenikov – Jean Chaine, Markus Stauss (le kje sem že slišal to ime?) in Jim Rite (znan tudi kot Dimthingshine). Chaine je občasni sodelavec Davida Mossa in že to priča o moževih sposobnostih. Če si dovolj dober, da igraš z Davidom Mossom, potem lahko igraš s komerkoli. Staussa prav tako ni potrebno posebej predstavljati. Zame je vodilni švicarski jazz saksofonist in je skozi leta izdal že kopico edinstvenih in mikavnih albumov. Ko dodamo še bobnarske veščine Jima Ritea, imamo popoln recept za popolno jazz ekstravaganco. The Dancing Man je živ posnetek iz Švice iz leta 1990 (ponovno izdan leta 2005), ki prikaže osupljivo skupino na višku svojih moči.
Glasbo Ulterior Lux bi lahko uvrstili med fusion, mešanico jazza in rocka. Sliši se, da je veliko delov komponiranih (struktura je včasih precej očitna), a sliši se tudi, da je precejšen delež glasbe improviziran. Tako dobimo najbolje iz obeh svetov jazza. Imaš čvrste kompozicije (za njih sta bila tokrat skoraj enakovredno zaslužna Stauss in Chaine, za razliko od Staussevih ostalih projektov, kjer je skoraj po pravilu glavni skladatelj – pa ne da bi se pritoževal!) in proste improvizacije, ki pokažejo kako se skupina spopade z jam-i – ti so ponavadi brez napak in polni svežih zamisli. Skorajda bi lahko rekli, da gre za album popolne jazz ekstaze. Glasba je raj za ljubitelje jazza. Vendar pa se kar nekaj najde tudi za oboževalce rocka. Čuti se tudi precej vpliva iz rocka in bluesa, še najbolj pa ko Stauss zažne igrati Sunshine of My Love (Cream) na začetku Outputblues.
Seveda Markus Stauss kot vedno briljira, čeprav se mi zdi, da je tokrat zvezda plošče Jean Chaine, vsaj kar se mene tiče. Staussovo igranje je ponovno tako mogočno in milo obenem, a Chainov bas je tako močno prisoten, da res izstopa tudi v primerjavi s Staussovim saksofonom – in to niti približno ni lahka naloga. Bas ni več instrument, ki spada v ritem sekcijo, temveč dostikrat prevzame vodilno vlogo. Ritem mašina s posadko enega in ki se imenuje Dimthingshine (oziroma Jim Rite) glasbo sijajno dopolnjuje z raznovrstnim bobnarskim znanjem. Poleg igranja basa in bobnov, Chaine in Rite poskrbita tudi za nekaj vokalnih delov, ki so morda najšibkejši člen albuma, a tudi od njih se da kaj odnesti. Vsi možje so neverjetni glasbeniki in na živem posnetku se to vsekakor najbolje sliši.
To je pravzaprav živ posnetek iz leta 1990, ki v studiu ni bil niti najmanj obdelan, tako da lahko slišimo prav vse nianse skupine na odru. Slišimo lahko prvovrsten fusion z mnogimi improvizacijskimi elementi, še posebej ker gre pač za živi posnetek. Plošča pokaže izjemne zmožnosti skupine, tako v improvizacijskem kot kompozicijskem smislu. Ta album bi zategadelj priporočil vsem ljubiteljem jazz/rocka. Če ste slišali že kakšen drug projekt Markusa Staussa, potem ste nedvomno zasvojeni in morate slišati tudi to Ulterior Lux lepotico.
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Ulterior Lux is a project started by three very talented musicians – Jean Chaine, Markus Stauss (where have I heard that name before?) and Jim Rite (also called Dimthingshine). Chaine is an occasional David Moss collaborator and that alone is enough to prove this man’s credentials. If you’re good enough to play with David Moss, you can play with anybody. Stauss also needs no introduction. He is Switzerland’s leading jazz sax player (as far as I’m concerned) and has releases a number of unique and intriguing albums through the years. When you add the drumming skills of Jim Rite, you have the perfect recipe for a total jazz extravaganza. The Dancing Man is a live recording from Switzerland from 1990 (reissued in 2005) which portrays an amazing band at the height of its powers.
The music of Ulterior Lux could be classified as fusion, a fusion of jazz and rock. You can hear that a lot of pieces are composed (the structure is sometimes fairly evident), but you can also hear that a great deal of the music is improvised. So this really is the best of both worlds when it comes to jazz. You have the tight compositions (which were this time handled almost equally by Stauss and Chaine, unlike Stauss’s other projects where he is the main composer – not that I’m complaining!) and the free improvised sections which showcase the band’s jamming abilites – they are flawless and full of ideas. You could almost call this an album of total jazz ecstasy. This is paradise for jazz lovers. But there’s also something for all the rock fans. There’s quite a bit of influence from rock and blues music, most notably when Stauss starts playing Sunshine of My Love (Cream) at the start of Outputblues.
Naturally, Markus Stauss is again brilliant here – as always, however, this time the star of the show is Jean Chaine, at least for me. Stauss’s playing is as powerful and full of grace as usual, but Chaine’s bass is so omnipresent that it really stands out even when compared to Stauss’s sax prowess – this is by no means an easy task to accomplish. The bass is no longer an instrument which belongs to the rhythm section, but it often takes on the role of a leading instrument. The one-man rhythm machine Dimthingshine complements the music perfectly with his versatile drumming technique. All of the guys are fabulous players and I think a live recording is the best way to prov. Besides playing bass and drums, Chaine and Rite also perform some vocal duites, which are perhaps the weak point of the album, but still enjoyable nevertheless.
This is actually a live recording from 1990 done without any overdubs, so we can really hear every nuance of the band on stage. We can hear first class fusion with many elements of improvisation, even more so because this is a live recording. The recording displays the enormous capabilities of the band – both improvisationally and compositionally. I would therefore reccommend this album to all lovers of jazz/rock. If you’ve heard any of Markus Stauss’s other projects, then you’re probably hooked, so this Ulterior Lux beauty must also be heard.
Zasedba
Jean Chaine – električni bas in vokal
Markus Stauss – saksofoni in dodatki
Dimthingshine – bobni in vokal
Produkcija
Markus Stauss
Seznam skladb
1. Waste of time
2. Slant lines
3. Bloodriffs
4. Outputblues
5. K1
6. Mental in a peachcan
7. Look for your own way
8. Ghosts
9. A 90
10. K1, the ballade
