Benjamin Koppel: Anna’s Doll House

A musical story takes place on this album led by alto saxist Benjamin Koppel. With Caecilie Norby at vocals supported by Kenny Werner/p, Peter Erskine/dr, Johannes Weidenmueller/b and Jacob Andersen/perc supplemented by the Danish National Youth Ensemble as a string section, the album is a moody mix of sounds and story that seems to tie each song together into a reflective theme.

The music itself ranges from Fats Waller’d stride on ‘Sketches of Life and Death” to a dark journey on “Black Water” with Norby’s Janice Segal-ish voice delivering intriguing messages and reflections. The team trudges through a haunting “Ghost of Europe” and serves up an ominous “Dying” while the most cheerful piece “Anna’s Dollhouse” is a smooth mood with Norby filled with wanderlust. A musical Grimm fairy tale?

www.annasdollhouse.com