Here’s an interpretation of the Kurt Weill Songbook that will raise a few eyebrows. Pianist Julia Hulsmann and her team of Tom Arthurs/tp-fh, Marc Muellbauer/b and Heinrich Kobberling/dr team up with vocalist Theo Bleckmann for some almost subliminal readings of Weill’s compositions. There are a couple instrumentals, such as “Alabama Song” and “River Chanty,” but these also sound like they’ve been puree’d through a Brian Eno ambient session. Bleckmann sounds like he’s on his death bed as he gasps through a drawn out “Speak Low” and almost emphysematic “September Song.” As far as “Mack The Knife” goes, Bleckmann sounds like Louie Miller, or the body laying down, “just oozing life.” The mood is fascinatingly dreamy, almost subconscious, which is a fascinating idea, but if you know the original material may take some getting used to.
ECM Records