This Way, Ladies / Deze Kant Op, Dames

A musical theatre piece by Willem Breuker with text by Ischa Meijer and featuring vocalist Loes Luca, Deze Kant Op, Dames! appears to be a heavy-handed excursion into the theater of the absurd. Recorded live in performance, the show generates a good deal of audience laughter but, judging from the photographs in the accompanying booklet, these seem to have been generated by the Kollektief members parading around in "funny" clothes and blurting forth absurdist expostulations (and the occasional belch). Unfortunately, little of this humor carries over into the recording, at least for non-Dutch speaking listeners. Considering only the musical elements, one encounters the typical smorgasbord approach utilized by Breuker in a number of his previous soundtrack and theater pieces. While the spirit of Kurt Weill hovers noticeably over the proceedings, we also get the usual tangos, fanfares, Ellingtonia, and so forth.

As is often the case with Breuker's work after the mid-'80s, there is a certain steeliness and martial aspect to his melodies accompanied by staccato rhythms and nearly military cadences. There are indeed flashes of his previous composing and arranging brilliance, such as the bluesy "Lola's Nightclub" featuring some glorious work by the criminally undersung trumpeter Boy Raaymakers, as well as a catchy tune here and there, but they are few and far between. The members of his Kollektief handle their duties (which involve a good deal of singing and, presumably, acting) with precision and grace; the ensemble still harbored some of the finest individual musicians in European jazz. Trumpeter Andy Altenfelder, another extraordinary trumpeter virtually unknown in the United States, is especially fine. Otherwise, however, Ms. Luca sings in a brassy cabaret style that wears thin after a short while and, much of the time, Breuker seems to be treading water compositionally. While there are several enjoyable moments, this disc is not nearly up to the high standards set by Breuker himself in the '70s and early '80s.