The ebony clarinet rarely gets featured these days. Is it due to its difficulty in the 21st century world of jazz? Difficulty in projection? Not sure. I play one, and while I prefer the 3 octave range of the licorice stick, people like the tenor much better, until I play it. But, that’s another story…
Waclaw Zimpel takes his collection of clarinets (alto, soprano, etc) and teams up with Krzystzof Dys/p, Christian Ramond/b and Klaus Kugel/dr for a collection of adventurous originals. First of all, Zimpel’s got a wonderfully full and rich tone, which makes it easier to hang in there with him when he goes a bit outside the box on material such as “ A Sudden Shift Missed” and “Hundred of Wings Steel The Sun.” The album, while filled with various dissonances, percussive rumblings and sharp turns, is bookended by a pair of tunes that emphasizes more of an ethereal mood, with long tones provided by Zimpel in an inviting and intriguing way. “Cold Blue Sky” flickers like a church candle and the title track oozes like a morning mist. Adventurous post modern ears will like this one
For-Tune Productions