Artist: Fusk
Label: WhyPlayJazz
Release: 2011
Runtime: 47:32
Rating: 2.8/5
Modernizing music hasn’t just brought novelty through new genres built on electronic gear. Other genres have evolved along with it, including older ones like jazz. In jazz, Scandinavia has played a big part and has been seen as the driving force of modern jazz for years now. Scandinavia is, of course, an ever-bigger musical force in general, especially thanks to its school system, which encourages learning through actually playing instruments.
Fusk is one of those bands trying to make jazz in a modern, innovative way, through new forms fit for the 21st century. They’re a German-Danish lineup that, besides mastermind and drummer Kasper Tom, includes Rudi Mahall on bass clarinet, Philipp Gropper on saxophone and Andreas Lang on bass. They recently put out their self-titled debut “Fusk” via WhyPlayJazz.
On first listen, “Fusk” is first and foremost a tough album. At first glance it has neither a common thread nor a melody, and when it does find some kind of pattern, it sooner or later slides into free-jazz mush that probably only the most open-minded jazzers can stomach. Here and there, when the band gives in to a melody it’s found, the music slips into a very likable jazz fusion, where the saxophone and bass clarinet naturally stand out as the interesting bits, but those moments are too rare and too timid, as if the music wants to stay passive despite all the free-jazz inserts.
Don’t get me wrong. There’s nothing wrong with free jazz, and what’s more, there are fantastic groups who present free jazz in a way that absolutely anyone can get into. Sadly, with Fusk it’s a bad attempt at something new. A brave one, but bad all the same. The funny thing is that the parts where the musicians actually give in to melody are far too good, both because of the aforementioned bass clarinet-sax combo and probably because of Kasper’s solid compositional chops. That’s exactly why it’s a shame that Fusk push at all costs into the so-called modern, different, alternative form of jazz, especially since it keeps them from making a satisfying record like so many others in this genre, and since they’re so much better at acoustic jazz fusion, i.e. writing modern jazz melodies. Even fantastic ones, if they want to.
So “Fusk” is too often chaos that’s more randomly made than just hard to grasp. There are more bad parts than good ones, and when the good ones do show up, the bad ones spoil them too quickly, so even the good parts fade. We can definitely look forward to excellent music if Fusk move toward what works on this debut, or if they stick strictly to the free form of jazz; but mixing melody and antimelody in this way is simply uninteresting and unlistenable. That said, I might occasionally go back to certain parts, the ones that actually fit together, because they make up some of the better acoustic jazz fusion in Europe.
Lineup
Philipp Gropper – saxophone
Rudi Mahall – bass clarinet
Andreas Lang – bass
Kasper Tom Christiansen – drums
Production
Christian Betz
Tracklist
1. Ein Kopf Kaffe, bitte
2. The Attack of the Ãœberpea
3. Freunde der Guten Musik
4. November
5. Eins Zwei Polizei
6. Kamienna Wola
7. Chief
8. Neun Zehn schlafen gehen
9. Berliner Bratwunder
