Label: Esp Disk’, 2021
Personnel - Gebhard Ullmann: tenor saxophone, bass clarinet; Gerhard Gschlossl: sousaphone, trombone; Johannes Fink: bass, cello; Jan Leipnitz: drums, objects; Michael Haves: live sound processing.
This chord-less German ensemble called Gulfh of Berlin is composed of musicians with an incredible capacity of adaptation to different settings. Their approach actually goes places as they boast a strong reeds/brass frontline with Gebhard Ullmann and Gerhard Gschlossl in command, and a quirky rhythm section made of bassist/cellist Johannes Fink and drummer Jan Leipnitz. Rounding out the group here is Michael Haves, invited to be at the wheel of the live processing.
The rhythmically interesting “Nether” touts a drifting flow, going along with a fresh beat-making that occasionally verges on dark industrial rock. With the conspicuous sousaphone vaulting the texture with its special tone, we also have a bass statement that ends up in a pitched murmur.
“K3” remains in a perpetual ambiguity and suspension regardless Leipnitz’s intentional sizzling cymbals, whereas “Serenade” adopts a swinging posture, exhibiting the horn players in animated conversation before focusing on a long, one-note drone with noisy electronics atop.
“Tellus” brings Ullmann to the fore. At some point, he switches the acrobatic tenor sounds for a timid, multiphonic bass clarinet, being followed closely by octave-modulated brass and the measured fragmentation of the drums. Although enjoying total freedom, the bass ends up with a regular pulsation.
The highly experimental “Joja Romp” probes uncharted territories with a visionary multi-genre approach, revealing vague Eastern connotations in the melody before inhabiting a transitory darker space that leads to a ‘batucada’ cadence. Tropical bass flavors are added to connect the eclectic contemporary dots.
The eruptive “Mann Aus Dem Himmel” and the squirrelly improvised “5 Elements” fall into more traditional avant-garde territory. The former, marked by kinetic drumming and sturdy tenor, progressively emphasizes the electronics; the latter bears the energy of rock, which is complemented with croaking cello and Ullmann’s defiant attitude on tenor in opposition to a more meditative and melodic course taken by Gschlossl on the trombone.
These musicians take absolute control of their instruments, making music that you’ve probably never heard before.
B+
Favorite Tracks:
01 - Nether ► 03 - Joja Romp ► 09 - 5 Elements