The new ensemble Undercurrent Orchestra plays a contemporary mix of improvised music with a high degree of creativity.
The corona years have (had) a great influence on musicians: forced home working (teaching), hope, boredom, sadness and joy, but also composing and arranging. All these aspects have been the source of inspiration for the new album by the band Undercurrent Orchestra from Amsterdam, which has released its debut album Everything Seems Different under supervison of (reed) player Iman Spaargaren. Spaargaren composed varied compositions in an unusual line-up of saxes, trumpet, trombone, cello, guitar and drums (so no bass). Music that, through the inventive use of wind instruments, leans towards the metier of a small big band. Varied dynamics, firm rhythms and tearing (distorted) guitars with occasionally organized chaos are in nice contrast to the smooth and vibrating sounds and the tremelo-soli on trombone, trumpet, sax and cello.
The pieces are visual with a highly cinematic character that is already guided by (Dutch) titles such as Ja wat bedoel ik? (Yes what I mean?), De vergeten tijd, Scene onderbroken door inkomend gesprek (The forgotten time, scene interrupted by incoming conversation) or Waltz for Undecided Minds &…... The latter by the way with beautiful simultaneous wind players soli, followed by an awesome vibrating fuzzy-cello-guitar-drums-orgy. The Undercurrent Orchestra is a company that takes you easily through all musical emotions in an eminent way. Splendid music!
- Click here for the review of the album Eyeman All Stars by Imam Spaargaren.
Line-up: Iman Spaargaren: (bas)clarinet, tenor saxophone / Gerard Kleijn: trumpet, flugelhorn / Joost Buis: trombone / Annie Tangberg: cello / Guillermo Celano: guitar / Marcos Baggiani: drums.
- Undercurrent Orchestra: Everything seems different (ZenneZ Records)
