Jazz-Fun.de 22.11.2024
Klaus Gesing | Ana Pilat | Latvian Radio Big Band
Song and Dance
Klaus Gesing, being a brilliant composer and arranger, has not disappointed us this time either. Very good, captivating, and sometimes even heart-rending compositions, arranged for a large orchestra, are characterised by a clear, clean, and spatial sound, which is key to the emotional level of the songs.
The beautiful voice of Ana Pilat and the perfectly sung songs evoke thoughtfulness and longing.
A stunning album that should be listened to in one go.
(Jacek Brun, 22.11.2024)
Concerto-Magazin/Austria/ No°6/December 2024
Klaus Gesing/Ana Pilat/Latvian Radio Big Band Song And Dance Challenge Records/Bertus Klaus Gesing, the saxophonist from Düsseldorf, has made significant and traceable contributions to jazz through his life and work in Austria. One can recall the concerts with Fritz Pauer and Wolfgang Puschnig, his involvement in the Jazz Big Band Graz, and his collaborations with Uli Rennert, Peter Herbert, Heinrich von Kalnein, Robert Bachner, Christian Saalfelner, and many others. His duo with pianist Glauco Venier later collaborated with the singer Norma Winston.
Klaus Gesing's idea for "Song And Dance" was to embed the intimacy of his song compositions into the harmonic environment of a big band sound. To achieve this, it is necessary to present pieces to the bands, and at the beginning of this project, Gesing was working with the Croatian-born, Finland-based singer Ana Pilat. Gesing presented demo versions of his music to the Latvian Radio Big Band, which was thrilled. We are too, and we are delighted with the lively, smoothly drifting program of nine pieces, full of funky grooves that swing and maintain a brisk tempo even in the ballads. Truly, Song and Dance! Magnificent!
bak
5 of 5 points
Jazzthing Germany 01/11/2024
modern
Klaus Gesing | Ana Pilat | Latvian Radio Big Band
Song And Dance
Challenge / Bertus
In September 2023, soprano saxophonist, bass clarinetist, and composer Klaus Gesing, together with singer Ana Pilat and the Latvian Radio Big Band under the direction of Kārlis Vanags, recorded his new album "Song and Dance" in Riga—music for voice and big band.
As the musician, who currently resides in Düsseldorf and Vienna, explains, he aimed to merge the intimate, melody-focused character of his compositions with the "orchestral colors and complex rhythmic layers" of a modern jazz orchestra, "without concealing the chamber music essence" from which the compositions originated.
His primary interest lay in odd time signatures, reflecting on the symmetry of time, as well as the voice as an accompanying element.
The result is music that enhances classic big band jazz with subtle nuances of chamber music, in which Gesing's solos are inscribed like delicate lines of sound.
mxb
December 2024 - Musik an Sich - https://www.musikansich.de/review.php?id=25404 Klaus Gesing / Ana Pilat / Latvian Radio Big Band Song And Dance
The Düsseldorf-born jazz musician Klaus Gesing has been playing the saxophone since he was seventeen, and his time as a member of the NRW State Youth Jazz Orchestra strengthened his career path. Together with the singer Ana Pilat and the Latvian Radio Big Band, he recorded the album Song And Dance.
Gesing composed seven of the nine songs, while tracks 5 and 9 are traditionals that he newly arranged. Some lyrics, such as those of songs 2, 4, and 7, were written by Norma Winstone.
With the Latvian Radio Big Band, Gesing enlisted one of the most legendary jazz ensembles in the Baltic region. On the one hand, they fully embrace the big band tradition, and on the other hand, they leave a lot of room for contemporary aspects and remain open-minded. Originally, the saxophonist had envisaged his new compositions for trio or quartet formations. When he wanted to reshape them for a larger ensemble, he realised that this would inevitably restrict the improvisational freedom of the individual players. "So I started to tailor a new wardrobe for the songs and dances on this recording," he said accordingly.
Additionally, it reads: "Three main elements run through the compositions and arrangements of this collection. Firstly, the presence of irregular time signatures. The fact that some melodies on this CD are written in 5/4, 11/8, 7/4, 15/4, or 17/8 time signatures is not a conscious decision on my part. The way these odd metres subtly alter the flow of time – or at least the way I perceive it inspires me and leads me to seek a particular state of rhythmic and melodic flow that ultimately makes the concept of time signature itself lose its significance."
This theoretical intent is quite understandable when you let the nine songs in their full range take effect on you. With concentrated force and also tender moments, the music demands full attention and knows how to entertain splendidly. The result is a correspondingly colourful soundscape that exhibits many vibrant orchestral colours as well as finest nuanced brushstrokes. Occasionally, I think of the music of Welsh miners' brass bands; that's how it feels with "Lullaby For Max", which even shows traces of a national anthem and could be used as such in parts.
However, the opening song "Back On Track" is very modern in design, the sound of the organ is distinctive, and guitarist Rihards Goba shines with his solo performance. Yes, the complexity and intricacy of the arrangements always leave room for individual solos, utilised by various musicians, including Gesing with his solo performances. And, of course, the very calm and pleasantly sounding voice of Ana Pilat, with an occasionally longing expression, adds another important component. Perfect when voice and dense orchestral sound merge..., yes, this is truly a thoroughly accomplished creation!
Wolfgang Giese
17/20 points