Kurt Weill

One could argue with some certainty that the composer with the most obvious influence on Willem Breuker has been Kurt Weill, so a tribute album from the former to the latter comes as no surprise. Breuker had included short cover versions of some Weill songs on earlier albums; three of these are reissued herein along with new orchestrations of relatively obscure pieces. The vocal parts are handled by frequent Breuker collaborator Loes Luca, whose throaty style is not too far from that of Lotte Lenya and whose performance is robust and vigorous throughout. With the exception of the final number, "My Ship," the arrangements are done straight and without the jazzy or antic elaborations Breuker has occasionally used on other covers. "My Ship" is performed as a jazz standard and features some nice work by Alex Coke, betraying a loving indebtedness to the flute inventions of Rahsaan Roland Kirk. All in all, a tight, enthusiastic homage that should prove enjoyable to fans of both Breuker and Weill.