HENNING SIEVERTS SYMMETRY: Blackbird
Pirouet, 2009

MODERN JAZZ – Cleverly constructed tunes inspired by birds (and musical birdlovers), but that doesn’t mean this sounds like a bunch of field recordings. The birdsongs usually manifest as subtle circular motifs. Arty modern jazz, mostly low-key and cerebral, very well done.

Henning Sieverts - bass, cello
Chris Speed - clarinet, tenor sax
Johannes Lauer - trombone
Achim Kaufmann - piano
John Hollenbeck - drums

* * * * | Fo’s Picks: 2, 3, 5, 7, 9, 12

1. 6:24 – playful alternation of odd meters; freeform middle; piano strolls, flies
2. 7:06 – piano scurries over bobbing melody; relaxed trombone, busy drums
3. 4:40 – pretty, lilting song, with nice interplay between clarinet & trombone
4. 2:46 – fluttering melody speeds up, slows down, becomes a little march
5. 5:10 – slow, quiet, moody processional; very mysterious
6. 1:35 – interlude: quiet percussive sounds and high keening squeaks
7. 7:27 – spare, circular intro; becomes Beatles tune, then a German folksong
8. 2:00 – low groaning tones with some squeaky accents
9. 5:50 – chugging 12-tone strut with an insistent pressure, bashing at end
10. 3:21 – horns drift gently over suspenseful single-note piano
11. 3:28 – strange, dizzy and disorienting; spins, then becomes a jumble
12. 5:29 – calm pulse, dreamlike at first, then a fluid piano solo
13. 4:39 – ballad: bass solos between lazy horn lines; sweetly drifting clarinet

[ Fo ] 12/13/09