Stauss, Vogel & Artgenossen: en Route

First things first, my apologies to Swiss musician Markus Stauss. I seem to have gotten behind in my reviewing. There are some other Stauss discs I still need to get to but first things first.

In 2014 Stauss collaborated with Richard Koch (trumpet) and Rémy Sträuli (drums, keyboards). All three musicians are members of the RIO band Spaltklang, formed by Stauss in the early 2000s. The album en Route(2014) came on the heels of Spaltklang's last effort In Between released in 2013.

As usual as with any Stauss recording this is not for the uninitiated. For those into RIO and the more avant-garde forms of jazz this might be something up your alley. Just the fact the lead instruments are bass sax and trumpet is strange enough but when you add the free form approach blended with compositional parts the results are at times wild and should I say completely unconventional. Some of the low bass notes will blow your socks off and to hear these musicians playfully step around each other's lines is really compelling and at times a real treat. The drum work of Sträuli is also something to behold. That being said, your ears may become a little fatigued as this stuff is not easy listening and is challenging to say the least. For those wanting to take a few more risks in your listening pleasures Stauss and his off the wall trio may be just what you are searching for.

Track Listing:
1. Wach auff (2:16)
2. en Route (5:14)
3. next fragment (8:11)
4. 7413 (5:18)
5. Intermezzo (2:08)
6. ganz Ton (6:44)
7. en Art Blues (7:46)
8. Inmitten (4:09)
9. Dance (1:53)
10. Muster 13 (9:57)
11. Melafina (0:43)

Added: September 10th 2017
Reviewer: Jon Neudorf
Score:
Related Link: Artist's Official Site
Hits: 1711
Language: english

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