NYC Jazz Record 3/2012
No Tango at Winterjazz Festival Köln
By Laurence Donohue-Green
...Oster also lent solid support to Christina Fuchs' quartet NoTango, the leader's various reeds (curved soprano, tenor, bass clarinet) complemented by Florian Stadler (accordion) and Hillmann (drums), who busilv shifted tempos and suitable rolls as if manufacturing waves over which his bandmates could happily surf...
Transforming" All or Nothing At All" and "Night and Day" much in the same way Brad Mehldau would do to Radiohead or a jazz standard, he also performed the latter's "2+2=5", further revealing Mehldau's influence.
Hot off the heels of her impressive 2011 Enja release Quite Simply, Niescier made sure she got some stage time at the festival as well. She presented her cohesive Sublim band with Florian Weber (piano), Sebastian Räther (bass) and Christoph Hillmann (drums), the lineup from her previous Enja record (Sublim lIl), which received the ECHO JAZZ prize, Germany's most prestigious jazz award. Much in the New York quartet tradition of Tim Berne or David Binney (palpable influences both), you could close your eyes during her sublime set and imagine being downtown at The Stone or 55Bar. Niescier abstracted themes with a cutting tone, lyrical one moment, rhythmically intense the next. She also performed (on alto and soprano) with bassist Ulla Oster's Chimäre, electric guitarist Norbert Scholly and Eva Popplein's laptop and electronics providing a backwash of beats (Kraftwerk-ish at moments). In contrast to her own band, Niescier's role was performing precise, written out lines that synched with and Shadowed the leader and vice versa. The opener ("13th Floor") and set closer ("Joy tick") were succinct, catchy performances, the former a feature for the saxophonist and bassist.
Oster also lent solid support to Christina Fuchs' quartet NoTango, the leader's various reeds (curved soprano, tenor, bass clarinet) complemented by Florian Stadler (accordion) and Hillmann (drums), who busilv shifted tempos and suitable rolls as if manufacturing waves over which his bandmates could happily surf. Hillmann also appeared with bassist Andre Nendza's Quintett. The bandleader, a thoughtful and original player and composer in the swinging, modern bop tradition, has a knack for restructuring and reharmonizing familiar melodies, creating strong, immediately catchy compositions uniquely his own.
The most adventurous sets came from Dus-Ti, a duo much greater than the sum of its parts. Mirek Pyschny (drums and effects) and Pablo Giw (trumpet and effects), perhaps influenced by Bill Dixon/Tony Oxley, incorporated electronic effects and created a potpourri of sounds recognizable (experimenlal electric guitar) to not 50 familiar. Their full spontaneous approach was both chaotic and impressionistic. Drummer Peter Kahlenborn's Vesica Pisces trio featured two electric guitarists, each with the tendency to finish the other's lines. The leader's unobtrusive style was one of understatement, lending itself well to the intricate yet spacious composition. And pianist Philip Zoubek's quartet with reedman Leo Huhn and Nillesen was a crossroads of Lennie Tristano, Anthony Braxton and Jimmy Ciuffre in one of the festival's many revealing sets.