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JAZZTIMES
Christian Winther Quintet - The Only Plan - (SteepleChase 2006)
Winther emigrated from his native Denmark, studied jazz at the University of New Orleans and now resides in the Crescent City. This album reflects his adoption of and adaptation to the local musical culture. It marks his rise as another promising tenor saxophonist among the ranks of well-schooled young jazz musicians.
The feeling of this album is bright and sunny. (It was recorded before Hurricane Katrina.) Rhythms indigenous to New Orleans abound, as pianist Richard Doron Johnson, bassist Neal Caine and drummer Ali Jackson Jr. dish out the infectious grooves. The ensemble sound of the horns (Winther and trumpeter Marcus Printup) recall the Blue Note era. You might call this a hard-bop-meets-New Orleans scene.
Winther originals dominate the program, beginning with the second-line-tinged “New York Strut.” His jaunty, stride-piano-introduced “There It Is” and Monkish “High Ground” are also worthy of note. Winther’s tenor is warm and fluid, with traces of Eric Alexander and perhaps the late New Orleans tenorman Red Tyler. On “High Ground,” he hints at Charlie Rouse. Printup, who increasingly impresses with each new album he appears on, is in admirable form, with boldness and exuberance that suggest a young Freddie Hubbard.
By Owen Cordle, Jazztimes |
OFFBEAT
Christian Winther Quintet - The Only Plan - (SteepleChase 2006)
Danish-born, New Orleans transplant Christian Winther likes to swing and gets the rhythm and mood going on “New York Strut,” the opening track on The Only Plan, It is one of five compositions from the saxophonist’s clever pen on this his sophomore release on the SteepleChase label. For the project, the leader put together a group of highly compatible musicians with whom he’s shared bandstands including New Orleanian, bassist Neal Caine, pianist Richard Doron Johnson and from the Jazz at Lincoln Center Orchestra, trumpeter Marcus Printup and drummer Ali Jackson Jr. (Taking advantage of the Wynton Marsalis being in town with the J@LCO, Winther’s April 19 performance at Snug Harbor will boast Printup, Jackson and Johnson.)
While swinging is often at the forefront of the album, a refreshing element is the ease of Winther’s moves both to more free ranging realms and while he glances back to the music’s tradition. The imaginative bassist Caine lays the foundation for the often stark, searching “Bright Light” on which Winther takes advantage of the open territory. It stands in sharp contrast to the lightness of another new Winther tune, the New Orleans-inspired “High Ground” that is introduced with stride piano. John Coltrane’s uplifting “Dahomey Dance,” wonderfully rounds out the inspiring program with Winther’s tenor flowing with a cascade of notes and Printup’s trumpet bringing it on home.
-Geraldine Wyckoff
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