Retrospective
Alessa, 2019
8/10
The Vienna saxophonist and composer Tobias Hoffmann made quite an impression with these 10 tracks released in 2019, where an all star cast of players join him for the big band and jazz fueled listen.
The title track gets the listen off to a dynamic start, where the bright brass and Michael Prowaznik’s fluid drumming make for a timeless jazz spirit, and “Happenstances” follows with Philipp Nykrin’s warm keys amid the soothing sax prowess that’s melodic and cozy.
Landing near the middle, “Procrastinator” benefits much from bouncy bass lines of the more rock focused display, while “Propulsion” layers the brass strategically amid Christopher Pawluk’s clever guitar work for the album’s best.
“Venteto” and “Am Ende des Tages” exit the listen, where the former brings both intimate and playful bouts to the precise landscape, and the latter is quite pretty, where the elegant keys, charming bass and romantic sax make for a very memorable finish.
A listen with no lack of melodies or grooves, Hoffmann handles tenor and soprano sax superbly, and Simon Plötzeneder’s trumpet and flugelhorn, Stefan Gottfried’s alto sax, Daniel Holzleitner’s trombone and Fabian Rucker’s bass clarinet and baritone sax sure do help make this a top notch affair.
Travels well with: Will Vinson- Trip Wire; Simon Belelty- Pee Wee