Brilliance (Live At 55 Bar NYC)

Recorded live at the infamous 55 Bar in New York City, Brilliance: Live at 55 Bar NYC expands the Torben Waldorff quartet's presence on the American jazz scene. The Scandinavian guitarist/composer is reunited with tenor saxophonist Donny McCaslin, drummer Jon Wikan and acoustic bassist Matt Clohesy on five exemplary compositions written by Waldorff with the exception of "Seen from Above" which was composed by Donny McCaslin. The songs are composed with traditional, avant-garde and free jazz elements, and played with intuitive interplay, elegance and excitement. "Alice" a bluesy ballad, opens the set and immediately sets the pace and tone of the program. McCaslin's lead sax playing is an improvised mix of avant-garde/free jazz honks, sqawks and a stellar top-to-bottom command of his tenor saxophone. Waldorff takes over with a serene solo that is infused with a folk-rock feeling. Both solos elicit applause from the audience. "Jurotrash" prominently features Waldorff's guitar brilliance and adds an extra dimension of color and texture to this amazing mosaic of sound. On "Astro" McCaslin's smoky tenor work provides the perfect foil for Waldorff's insightful guitar lines. Waldorff's solo is enigmatic with its ethereal feeling and rock-based licks. The 11-minute "Seen from Above" deals very positively with the band's interplay — especially between McCaslin and Wikan. Top picks: "Eurotrash" because of Waldorff's great solo, and the serene ballad "Jeep" for its beauty and soulful feeling. While this particular review concerns the CD available by download from ArtistShare, the artist's body of work and his electro-house remix version of Brilliance in collaboration with house artist John Dahlbäck, one of Europe's top DJs, should excite a new generation of jazz and house genre lovers.