Kaukasus
HOOD, 2022
8/10
A quartet from Stockholm with an affinity for chamber jazz improvisation, Josef Kallerdahl (double bass), Lisen Rylander Love (saxofon), Susan Santos Silva (trumpet) and Nils Berg (bass clarinet), i.e. Here’s To Us, deliver a highly creative listen that’s centered around Georgian culture.
“Mival Guriashi” opens with carefully plucked bass and warm brass in the very cautious climate, and “Aghmosavlidgan Mzisa” follows with a very intimate interaction that emits a very stirring demeanor.
At the halfway point, “Tsmindao Ghmerto” is handled with much emotion, as the horns mesh with much grace, while “Mravalzhamieri” focuses on the strategic bass playing amid the layered brass.
The title track resides near the end, and flows with much emphasis on the moody clarinet, and “Shen Khar Venakhi” exits with a unique ambience that few could replicate.
A very atypical listen that bridges the ancient traditions of Georgian music and modern jazz sensibilities, Here’s To Us brings 4 musicians each with their own inimitable voice on this fascinating sophomore album.
Travels well with: Foaie Verde- Phoenix: Balkans And Beyond; Quadro Nuevo- Odyssee- A Journey Into The Light