Label: Colonel Beats Records, 2023
Personnel - Mark Turner: tenor saxophone; Nils Wogram: trombone; Joris Roelofs: bass clarinet; Doug Weiss: bass; Jochen Rueckert: drums.
Based in New York since 1997, German drummer/composer Jochen Rueckert assembles an exciting chord-less quintet featuring a three-piece frontline composed of American tenorist Mark Turner, German trombonist Nils Wogram, and French-born, Amsterdam-based clarinetist Joris Roelofs. In opposition to the former two, who have been frequent collaborators, the latter is a new addition. Bassist Doug Weiss rounds out the group, sharing a stark instinct with the bandleader for both in-the-pocket and unbounded playing.
With Best Intentions is the sixth entry in Rueckert’s catalog, showing off his aptitude to swing in several tradition-leaning contexts. Here, the references include John Coltrane, Herbie Hancock, Bud Powell, and Jackie McLean, yet this album only represents part of the spectrum of who he is as a musician. The drummer has been exploring electronic (under the moniker Wolff Parkinson White) and rock music (past covers included songs by Deftones and The Breeders).
“The Dress” bursts out of the gate with a bluesy feel and powerful solos from bass clarinet and tenor; “Rainbow Road” swings like the old-times but denotes contemporary principles in the head; and both the hard-swinging “Pherotstorium” and the riff-based “Mark of the Beast” boast this not-too-obvious post-bop lining borrowed from Jackie McLean/Grachan Moncur and Sam Rivers/Julian Priester associations.
Embracing tight rhythms and firmly woven textures, the quintet delivers “Unmitigated” with waltzing steps and an impeccably connected horn section, “Muetze Glatze” with playful avant-garde behavior and provocative tones, and “Catholic Mahogany” with odd-meter and solos by Roelofs and Weiss. The title track, professed by muted trombone and bass clarinet, provide both improvisation and strong harmonic context through melody.
Rueckert’s group is capable of multi-coloring and contrasting shade, employing jazz tradition and contemporary languages in the best way. His new outing is sharply homogeneous in tone and quality.
Favorite Tracks:
01 - The Dress ► 05 - Muetze Glatze ► 07 - Pherotstorium