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Unperfect Buildings

Openthebox Trio feat. Kit Downes

Unperfect Buildings

Price: € 14.95
Format: CD
Label: Double Moon Records
UPC: 0608917143027
Catnr: DMCHR 71430
Release date: 22 September 2023
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Label
Double Moon Records
UPC
0608917143027
Catalogue number
DMCHR 71430
Release date
22 September 2023

"... The music ... can be heard in many different ways - as complex compositions, as idiosyncratic soundscapes, as minimalist layers of voices or as "running tracks" for artfully improvised percussion arrangements. ..."

Jazzthetik, 01-1-2024
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Artist(s)
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About the album

Videos:
OPENTHEBOX TRIO feat. KIT DOWNES - Bird On A Cherry Tree - YouTube

OPENTHEBOX TRIO feat. KIT DOWNES - Strange Night in Paris - YouTube

OPENTHEBOX TRIO feat. KIT DOWNES - Unperfect Buildings - YouTube

Photos: https://www.dropbox.com/scl/fo/r9xvxqvgcqibjozhuo1nq/h?rlkey=5fhhggqegjom3bpty4mk199jn&dl=0


A guitar trio led by its drummer is a rare affair. Christian Krischkowsky, who made his debut on Double Moon Records in 2005 with a quintet and the album "TS Bremen", loves something like this. A later album in quartet line-up was nominated for the German Record Critics' Award in 2016. It was almost logical that he would now form a trio. He is supported by guitarist Andreas Dombert, who also made his debut with "Urban Jazz" on Double Moon and who has played a lot from hard (tank ballet) to delicate (duo with Chris Gall), and bassist Axel Kühn, who also has his own trio as well as his Kühnett, with earthy yet subtle melodies. "I like this hard guitar trio sound," Krischkowsky admitted. "I like Axel's rhythmically clear playing, and he's also very open-minded. And I liked Andreas' trio because he combines so many elements in his playing, and he is also insanely virtuoso." Together, the three are the Openthebox Trio, and you can probably guess which box will be opened when you look at the song titles.

"Franz-Josef-Land" and "Helmut" suggest an intensive occupation with the 1980 Bundestag election campaign, when Franz-Josef Strauss and Helmut Schmidt competed against each other, but the songs’ titles come from something completely different. "Franz-Josef-Land" is a group of islands in the Arctic Ocean, and "Helmut" refers to Helmut Dietl. Krischkowsky, who was born in Munich, honors the unfortunately long-dead master director and especially his television series "Monaco Franze" beyond measure. "The first sound interval in my piece actually refers to the theme song of 'Monaco Franze'," Krischkowsky grinned. "I think that whoever knows the melody will notice that too." On the other hand, you really suspect that the song "Please, Hold the Line, Thelonious!” certainly refers to jazz legend Thelonious Monk. By the way, Krischkowsky composed all nine songs on the album. "I was on hold in a telephone queue and had to press some keys just to cancel the whole process," Krischkowsky said. "I think that it is a sign of our times that you often don’t have a contact person, and I imagined how Thelonious Monk would have reacted to such an imposition; he probably would have hung up." On this and three other songs, "Bird on a Cherry Tree", "Strange Night in Paris" and the title track, the trio becomes a quartet when British keyboardist Kit Downes, an "ECM recording artist", steps in on the Hammond organ. Not only on "Please, Hold the Line, Thelonious!", the last song of "Unperfect Buildings", it becomes clear that the Openthebox Trio feels connected to jazz tradition, but of course also wants to conquer new musical worlds. The organic soundscapes of the gang of three and four feel well-known yet new. Krischkowsky's diverse rhythms combine in the most beautiful way with Dombert's guitar sounds, which he created completely without effect devices, and the subtle bass lines of Kühn. Downes adds an additional atmospheric flair with his strange organ sounds, which have nothing to do with the traditional soul jazz organ of Jimmy Smith or Jimmy McGriff. And sometimes the trio, which sees itself mainly as a chamber music ensemble, also sounds angular and idiosyncratic.

Videos:
OPENTHEBOX TRIO feat. KIT DOWNES - Bird On A Cherry Tree - YouTube

OPENTHEBOX TRIO feat. KIT DOWNES - Strange Night in Paris - YouTube

OPENTHEBOX TRIO feat. KIT DOWNES - Unperfect Buildings - YouTube

Photos: https://www.dropbox.com/scl/fo/r9xvxqvgcqibjozhuo1nq/h?rlkey=5fhhggqegjom3bpty4mk199jn&dl=0

Ein Gitarren-Trio, das von seinem Schlagzeuger geleitet wird, ist eine rare Angelegenheit. So etwas liebt Christian Krischkowsky, der 2005 mit einem Quintett und dem Album „TS Bremen“ hier auf Double Moon Records debütierte. Ein späteres Album in Quartettstärke wurde 2016 für den Preis der deutschen Schallplattenkritik nominiert. Da war es eigentlich fast logisch, dass er nun ein Trio gründet. Ihm zur Seite stehen der Gitarrist Andreas Dombert, der mit „Urban Jazz“ ebenfalls auf Double Moon debütierte und der von hart (Panzerballett) bis zart (Duo mit Chris Gall) schon vieles gespielt hat, und der Bassist Axel Kühn, Betreiber eines Trios, aber auch seines Kühntetts, mit erdigen und doch feinsinnigen Melodien. „Ich mag diesen harten Gitarren-Trio-Sound“, gesteht Krischkowsky. „An Axel gefällt mir sein rhythmisch klares Spiel, außerdem ist er sehr aufgeschlossen. Und das Trio von Andreas hat mir gefallen, weil er so viele Elemente in seinem Spiel vereint - außerdem ist er wahnsinnig virtuos.“ Zusammen sind die Drei das Openthebox-Trio und welche Kiste da geöffnet wird, lässt sich vermeintlich erahnen, wenn man sich die Songtitel anschaut: „Franz-Josef-Land“ und „Helmut“ lassen auf eine intensive Beschäftigung mit dem Bundestagswahlkampf 1980 schließen, als Franz-Josef Strauß und Helmut Schmidt gegeneinander antraten - aber weit gefehlt. Das „Franz-Josef-Land“ ist eine Inselgruppe im Nordpolarmeer und „Helmut“ bezieht sich auf Helmut Dietl. Den leider längst verstorbenen Meister-Regisseur und vor allem dessen Fernsehserie „Monaco Franze“ verehrt Krischkowsky als gebürtiger Münchner über alle Maßen. „Der erste Tonabstand in meinem Stück bezieht sich tatsächlich auf die Titelmelodie von ‚Monaco Franze’“, schmunzelt Krischkowsky. „Ich denke, wer die Melodie im Ohr hat, merkt das auch.“ Bei „Please, Hold the Line, Thelonious!“ dagegen vermutet man richtig, der Song - alle neun Songs des Albums hat Krischkowsky geschrieben - bezieht sich natürlich auf die Jazzlegende Thelonious Monk. „Ich war in einer Warteschleife am Telefon und musste irgendwelche Tasten drücken, nur, um dann doch aus dem Programm rauszufliegen“, erzählt Krischkowsky. „Ich finde, das ist ein Zeichen unserer Zeit, dass einem oft der Ansprechpartner fehlt und ich habe mir vorgestellt, wie Thelonious Monk wohl auf eine solche Zumutung reagiert hätte - vermutlich hätte er aufgelegt.“ Auf diesem und drei weiteren Songs - „Bird on a Cherry Tree“, „Strange Night in Paris“ und der Titeltrack - wird das Trio zum Quartett, wenn der britische Keyboader Kit Downes, seines Zeichens „ECM recording artist“, an der Hammondorgel ins musikalische Geschehen eingreift. Nicht nur bei „Please, Hold the Line, Thelonious!“, dem letzten Song von „Unperfect Buildings“, wird deutlich, dass das Openthebox-Trio sich durchaus der Jazztradition verbunden fühlt, aber natürlich auch neue musikalische Welten erobern will. Die organischen Klanglandschaften der Dreier- und Viererbande fühlen sich altbekannt und doch neu an. Krischkowskys vielfältige Rhythmen verbinden sich aufs Schönste mit Domberts Gitarrenklängen, die dieser völlig ohne Effektgeräte kreiert hat, und den subtilen Basslinien Kühns. Für zusätzliches atmosphärisches Flair sorgt Downes mit seinen merkwürdigen Orgelklängen, die so gar nichts mit der traditionellen Soul-Jazz-Orgel eines Jimmy Smith oder Jimmy McGriff zu tun haben. Und manchmal klingt das Trio, das sich hauptsächlich als kammermusikalisches Ensemble versteht, auch kantig und eigenwillig.

Artist(s)

Axel Kühn (bass)

Axel Kühn's main job is bassist of Kühntett. But he has a hobby: to play even more bass. He accompanied Anne-Sophie von Otter and Peter Mattei in the Mahler Chamber Orchestra, is a member of the Chris Gall Trio, played in the Anne Czichowsky Quintett and the Boston Collective. Pianist Christoph Heckeler studied under John Taylor, Tom van der Geld, Don Friedman and Adam Makowicz, among others, and got his first performance experience playing alongside Dave Liebman, Peter Herbolzheimer, Ack van Rooyen, Adrian Mears, Gunther Schuller and others. Marcel Gustke has not only been drumming in Kühntett since 2005, but also for Barbara Dennerlein since 2006. And because he feels at home in all styles between pop, jazz, soul and...
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Axel Kühn's main job is bassist of Kühntett. But he has a hobby: to play even more bass. He accompanied Anne-Sophie von Otter and Peter Mattei in the Mahler Chamber Orchestra, is a member of the Chris Gall Trio, played in the Anne Czichowsky Quintett and the Boston Collective. Pianist Christoph Heckeler studied under John Taylor, Tom van der Geld, Don Friedman and Adam Makowicz, among others, and got his first performance experience playing alongside Dave Liebman, Peter Herbolzheimer, Ack van Rooyen, Adrian Mears, Gunther Schuller and others. Marcel Gustke has not only been drumming in Kühntett since 2005, but also for Barbara Dennerlein since 2006. And because he feels at home in all styles between pop, jazz, soul and funk, you could already see and hear him with Cassandra Steen, Nils Landgren, Andi Maile and Wolfgang Puschnig. Saxophonist Alexander "Sandi" Kuhn studied under Frank Tiberi and Joe Lovano, among others, at the Berklee College of Music in Boston and under Prof. Bernd Konrad at the State College for Music and the Performing Arts in Stuttgart. In addition to Kühntett, he dedicates himself to his own band KuhnStoff and the Boston Collective.

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Kit Downes (piano)

Kit Downes is a British jazz pianist. Downes plays regularly with his own trio, Stan Sulzmann, Troyka, The Golden Age of Steam, Sam Crockatt and Clark Tracey - and has played with Joe Locke, Gilad Atzmon, Empirical, Gerard Presencer, Seb Rochford, Iain Ballamy, Sarah Gillespie, Peter Ind, Gwyneth Herbert, John Warren and Eugene Skeef. He has also performed with British bands Fraud, Asaf Sirkis' Inner Noise, Gilad Atzmon's Orient House Ensemble, Acoustic Ladyland, Nostalgia 77, 2000 Black, Silhouette Brown and Dennis Rollins' Badbone and Co.
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Kit Downes is a British jazz pianist. Downes plays regularly with his own trio, Stan Sulzmann, Troyka, The Golden Age of Steam, Sam Crockatt and Clark Tracey - and has played with Joe Locke, Gilad Atzmon, Empirical, Gerard Presencer, Seb Rochford, Iain Ballamy, Sarah Gillespie, Peter Ind, Gwyneth Herbert, John Warren and Eugene Skeef. He has also performed with British bands Fraud, Asaf Sirkis' Inner Noise, Gilad Atzmon's Orient House Ensemble, Acoustic Ladyland, Nostalgia 77, 2000 Black, Silhouette Brown and Dennis Rollins' Badbone and Co.

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Andreas Dombert (guitar)

Andreas Dombert, who studied jazz guitar under Helmut Kagerer and Paulo Morello from 2000 to 2004, has already played alongside of legends such as Philip Catherine and Airto Moreira, and his participation in the project 'Night of Jazz Guitars' together with Larry Corryell, Helmut Kagerer and Paulo Morello made him known to a large audience. However, his contribution to the metal jazz band Panzerballett also demonstrated that he can do quite different things.
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Andreas Dombert, who studied jazz guitar under Helmut Kagerer and Paulo Morello from 2000 to 2004, has already played alongside of legends such as Philip Catherine and Airto Moreira, and his participation in the project "Night of Jazz Guitars" together with Larry Corryell, Helmut Kagerer and Paulo Morello made him known to a large audience. However, his contribution to the metal jazz band Panzerballett also demonstrated that he can do quite different things.

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Christian Krischkowsky (drums)

After several years and two albums with his Quintett (1. „TS BREMEN“-Jazzthing Next Generation Vol.8/Doublemoon…. 2. „55 DAYS“ feat. Kristiina Tuomi/ Mons) Ulm- based drummer and composer Christian Krischkowsky is leading a new band, the Christian Krischkowsky Quartet. With this brand new acoustic jazz project Krischkowsky and his fellow Berlin musicians explore new territories. Expressionistic sounding melodies and improvisations fly above pulsating and sometimes unusual futuristic rhythm structures. Krischkowsky´s compositions and arrangements create a new and highly personal sound, combining musical zeitgeist with influences of Bill Evans, Thelonious Monk or songwriter Cat Stevens. Besides Marc Schmolling ( piano ), Krischkowsky´s longtime companion, there are two other exceptional musical team players acting on the side of the drummer: Peter Ehwald ( tenor/soprano saxophone...
more
After several years and two albums with his Quintett (1. „TS BREMEN“-Jazzthing Next Generation Vol.8/Doublemoon…. 2. „55 DAYS“ feat. Kristiina Tuomi/ Mons) Ulm- based drummer and composer Christian Krischkowsky is leading a new band, the Christian Krischkowsky Quartet.
With this brand new acoustic jazz project Krischkowsky and his fellow Berlin musicians explore new territories. Expressionistic sounding melodies and improvisations fly above pulsating and sometimes unusual futuristic rhythm structures. Krischkowsky´s compositions and arrangements create a new and highly personal sound, combining musical zeitgeist with influences of Bill Evans, Thelonious Monk or songwriter Cat Stevens.
Besides Marc Schmolling ( piano ), Krischkowsky´s longtime companion, there are two other exceptional musical team players acting on the side of the drummer: Peter Ehwald ( tenor/soprano saxophone ) and Roland Fidezius ( bass ). With its music, this quartet tells imaginative, often miraculous stories in its own way and invites the listener into wide musical worlds – sometimes exciting and wild, sometimes gentle and tender.

less

Composer(s)

Christian Krischkowsky (drums)

After several years and two albums with his Quintett (1. „TS BREMEN“-Jazzthing Next Generation Vol.8/Doublemoon…. 2. „55 DAYS“ feat. Kristiina Tuomi/ Mons) Ulm- based drummer and composer Christian Krischkowsky is leading a new band, the Christian Krischkowsky Quartet. With this brand new acoustic jazz project Krischkowsky and his fellow Berlin musicians explore new territories. Expressionistic sounding melodies and improvisations fly above pulsating and sometimes unusual futuristic rhythm structures. Krischkowsky´s compositions and arrangements create a new and highly personal sound, combining musical zeitgeist with influences of Bill Evans, Thelonious Monk or songwriter Cat Stevens. Besides Marc Schmolling ( piano ), Krischkowsky´s longtime companion, there are two other exceptional musical team players acting on the side of the drummer: Peter Ehwald ( tenor/soprano saxophone...
more
After several years and two albums with his Quintett (1. „TS BREMEN“-Jazzthing Next Generation Vol.8/Doublemoon…. 2. „55 DAYS“ feat. Kristiina Tuomi/ Mons) Ulm- based drummer and composer Christian Krischkowsky is leading a new band, the Christian Krischkowsky Quartet.
With this brand new acoustic jazz project Krischkowsky and his fellow Berlin musicians explore new territories. Expressionistic sounding melodies and improvisations fly above pulsating and sometimes unusual futuristic rhythm structures. Krischkowsky´s compositions and arrangements create a new and highly personal sound, combining musical zeitgeist with influences of Bill Evans, Thelonious Monk or songwriter Cat Stevens.
Besides Marc Schmolling ( piano ), Krischkowsky´s longtime companion, there are two other exceptional musical team players acting on the side of the drummer: Peter Ehwald ( tenor/soprano saxophone ) and Roland Fidezius ( bass ). With its music, this quartet tells imaginative, often miraculous stories in its own way and invites the listener into wide musical worlds – sometimes exciting and wild, sometimes gentle and tender.

less

Press

... The music ... can be heard in many different ways - as complex compositions, as idiosyncratic soundscapes, as minimalist layers of voices or as "running tracks" for artfully improvised percussion arrangements. ...
Jazzthetik, 01-1-2024

... The spectrum ranges from tender music about dolphins to a cool number alluding to a jazz legend...
Mitteldeutsche Zeitung, 08-11-2023

... I have heard music that is very individually oriented in the jazz and fusion environment, with relatively relaxed music, very well-positioned musicians who can create wonderfully as a unit and can also skillfully show off their personal characteristics.
musikansich, 16-12-2023

... Well, compared to that of Pandora, it is not unpleasant what flows out of the box. It is music that captivates us, ...
Concerto, 01-12-2023

The last song “Please, hold the line, Thelonius!” cannot help but relate to Thelonius Monk, his music cannot be heard here, but beautiful round guitar sounds and a jaunty Hammond organ and tight accents from Christian, pleasant music as on the entire album.
Rootstime, 01-11-2023

... So the three develop their mostly melodic tracks rather leisurely with plenty of room for individuality. ...
NaDann, 18-10-2023

Something of the "ECM sound" can be felt here...
jazzfun, 06-10-2023

Krischkowsky's spicy drumming forms a good counterbalance to Dombert's round guitar playing. Kühn's bass connects, but also sets striking accents. Downes provides extra adventure. Together this results in an interesting musical spectrum. The music is accessible, but also experimental and occasionally a bit alienating. Like unperfect buildings. 'Unperfect buildings' is a successful project in every respect.
Jazzenzo, 06-9-2023

... Modern-jazzy lightness meets the compositional seriousness of drummer Christian Krischkowsky, who leads his Opentheboxtrio with bassist Axel Kühn and guitarist Andreas Dombert with emphasis, but at the same time imposes improvisational flow on the participants...
Jazzthing, 23-8-2023

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