Jasper Blom Quartet Polyphony

Alustrous double album showcasing just why Jasper Blom is one of theNetherlands' most prominent, forward-thinking saxophonist-composers incontemporary jazz. 'Polyphony' documents two sold-out live concerts from hisquartet at Amsterdam's BIMHUIS in collaboration with two special solo artists -trumpeter Bert Joris and trombonist Nils Wogram.Blom hasbeen performing in different line-ups for over twenty years with guitaristJesse van Ruller, bassist Frans van der Hoeven and drummer Martijn Vink; and asthis band since 2006, they have released four studio albums. The first setfeatures the quartet's longtime friend Bert Joris; and Nils Wogram, in thesecond set, has been on Blom's radar for years as a particularly original player,composer and improviser: "I'm a fan, and his freer approach is a good match formy music."Acrossmore than 100 minutes, these 16 tracks deliver a polychromatic throng of stylesand influences - from mellow dual horns and gyrating guitar in 'Walz forMagnus' to pop-mediaeval 'Virelai' (after Guillaume de Machaut).'Decidophobia'introduces Nils Wogram's deliciously bluesy, growling trombone; and moreabstract expressions in 'Running Gag' and technically-demanding 'Least of YourWorries' run fast and hard with spiky, chromatic melodies and boisterousextemporization. Grooving 'Macedonian Candidate' produces lithe solos fromWogram and Blom, and the quintet's more spacial ambiences are heard in dreamy'Nancy in the Sky' and the attractively tiptoed tones of 'Antidote'.Personnel:Jasper Blom (tenor saxophone), Bert Joris (trumpet), Nils Wogram (trombone),Jesse van Ruller (guitar), Frans van der Hoeven (double bass), Martijn Vink(drums)