Clemens Grassmann unique original jazz Clemens Grassmann – LABYRINTHS & TALES: This very unique seven-song album from Clemens features a splendid array of tunes that feature his high-energy percussion… the list of players joining him on this fantastic (nearly) hour-long jazz excursion (50:32 to be exact) is far too long to itemize here, but you can check it out on the Bandcamp page for the release! I was impressed enough to write him as soon as I got it in & added it to the queue… & that means something, to be sure, because I get a LOT of albums in for review!
It would have been nice to have a video of this recording being created (maybe for the next album, Clemens), but if you check him out on YouTube, you’ll find several great videos of him playing with his friends… here’s one I particularly liked from 2016:
This album pulls together several different forms/genres – Latin, jazz, world and electronic – and fuses them into jazz originals that are most striking in their “newness”… I can tell you right now; you haven’t heard music like this before… it’s pure Grassmann… I just loved the interaction between the horn and all the other band members on the rousing tun “La Gatinha“… and Clemens’s drums just DRIVE this one… you will find yourself (as did I) hitting the REPLAY button often on your player for this track.
A debut album is always a “risk” for a player or group, but Clemens has little to worry about on this great release… I was especially impressed by how “together” the group is on pieces like the 7:12 “Coriolis“… some of the tastiest drum-led jazz I’ve heard (yet) in 2017. I’ve no doubt that jazz fans around the globe will find this piece most attractive… I predict that you’ll be hearing much more from this talented young composer and player!
It was the longest piece on the album (9:40) that (easily) is my pick for personal favorite of the seven offered up… “Black & White” gives each of the players an opportunity to stretch out and display their talent after Clemens wonderful extended drum solo (right at the 3:45 mark)… the whole tune seemed to reflect those color contrasts in the world around us today. I give Clemens and his players a MOST HIGHLY RECOMMENDED, with an “EQ” (energy quotient) rating of 4.99. Get more information about this rising star on the Clemens Grassman website. Rotcod Zzaj
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