Home » Jazz Articles » Multiple Reviews » Alexander von Schlippenbach, Aki Takase and Rudi Mahall:...
Alexander von Schlippenbach, Aki Takase and Rudi Mahall: Betting on Tradition
Ornette Coleman
saxophone, alto1930 - 2015
Thelonious Monk
piano1917 - 1982
Duke Ellington
piano1899 - 1974
Albert Mangelsdorff
trombone1928 - 2005
Gil Cuppini
b.1924
John Surman
saxophoneb.1944
Cecil Taylor
piano1929 - 2018
But Monk's music has long been a major part of Schlippenbach's work, whether resulting in pure renditions or obtuse reference. His piano playing is relentlessly rhythmic and beholden to an earlier tradition than his peers and immediate forebears—in Schlippenbach's solo work, it's possible to hear vestiges of 
Fats Waller
piano
1904 - 1943
Aki Takase
piano
b.1948
Alexander von Schlippenbach
Piano Solo '77
FMP
2008
Piano Solo '77 (here with an extra take of "The Onliest—The Lonliest") is the pianist's second complete solo recital, following the 1974 Enja release Payan. Whereas Payan is a collection of compositions and fairly songlike at that, the four pieces here side with extreme density and stretched-out improvisation, the pianist pushing himself and the instrument to the limit. "Lhotse" starts out quoting bits of Monk's "Coming on the Hudson," Schlippenbach clunking his way through short rhythmic motifs and recombining them in angular, disarmingly simple yet prismatic card houses. A darting upper-register call and he's broken into a gallop, a swath of pure forward motion, independently conversant right and left hands each of which provide dry, free-tempo rhythm. Schlippenbach's notes point out that he was "in competition with himself," and it's not unapt—"Lhotse" finds human and instrument at one, yet splintered into dialogue. And that drive can yield funky barrelhouse about seven minutes in, even as the right hand arches outward into pointillist sonic interstices. As he seemingly winds down, an isolated Monkish ballad emerges, only to have piled on it dense 
McCoy Tyner
piano
1938 - 2020
Aki Takase & Alexander von Schlippenbach
Iron Wedding
Intakt
2009
Schlippenbach and his partner, Japanese-born pianist and composer Aki Takase, have collaborated since the 1990s, and Iron Wedding is their third recording of duets. Though the scope of their independent work is rather different, they are extraordinarily intertwined—no attribution of phrases is necessary as their approaches are complementary. "Circuit" places delicate glissandi and jumpy blocks in close proximity, a stuttering dance that teases out pirouettes and motivic swing until clusters and runs become ever closer together, masses superimposed until the tune flames out. "Suite in Five Parts" begins with sharp floaters and bubbles creeping in from the periphery and re-approached with a sustained touch. It's a play between coagulated but defined patches of notes and gauzy singularities, combining into a very pure and layered improvisational carpet. Schlippenbach's composition "Twelve Tone Tales" is given the duet treatment. Here its deliberate spirals are wrapped in rhapsodic flesh and augmented by a brief flourish from Takase's celesta. Iron Wedding is most interesting when Schlippenbach and Takase are given space, whether that's the dual agitation of wooden knocks and string rustling in "Gold Inside" or the intertwining boppish songbirds of "Eight." Sheer muscle does impress, but the beauty of this record lies in the oft-atmospheric contours between.
Aki Takase & Rudi Mahall
Evergreen
Intakt
2009
Takase and German bass clarinetist Rudi Mahall (also a veteran of Schlippenbach groups) have worked together in duo since the early part of the 2000s, releasing Dessert on Leo in 2003. Whereas that session featured compositions from the duo, Evergreen presents a set of 14 well-worn chestnuts. This isn't foreign territory for Mahall; he's approached Monk's songbook with more than gusto, having worked in Schlippenbach's Monk's Casino project (Intakt, 2005) with Die Enttaeuschung. Mahall is an heir apparent to 
Eric Dolphy
woodwinds
1928 - 1964
Jaki Byard
piano
1922 - 1999
Tracks and Personnel
Piano Solo '77
Tracks: Brooks; The Onliest - The Loneliest 1; Lhotse; The Onliest - The Loneliest 2.
Personnel: Alexander von Schlippenbach: piano.
Iron Wedding
Tracks: Early Light; Circuit; Suite in Five Parts; Steinblock; Twelve Tone Tales; RTP; Gold Inside; Eight; Zankapfel; Thrown In; Off Hand; Dwarn's Late Light; Iron Wedding; Passacaglia 1, 2, 3; Yui's Dance; Rain; Far On.
Personnel: Aki Takase: piano and celesta; Alexander von Schlippenbach: piano.
Evergreen
Tracks: Mood Indigo; I'll Remember April; Bel Ami; Tea for Two; Moonglow; You and the Night and the Music; How long has this been Going On; Cleopatra's Dream; I'm Beginning to See the Light; Two Sleepy People; Good Bait; You Took Advantage of Me; It's Only a Paper Moon; Lulu's Back In Town.
Personnel: Aki Takase: piano and celesta; Rudi Mahall: bass clarinet.
Tags
Comments
PREVIOUS / NEXT
Support All About Jazz
All About Jazz has been a pillar of jazz since 1995, championing it as an art form and, more importantly, supporting the musicians who make it. Our enduring commitment has made "AAJ" one of the most culturally important websites of its kind, read by hundreds of thousands of fans, musicians and industry figures every month.
Go Ad Free!
To maintain our platform while developing new means to foster jazz discovery and connectivity, we need your help. You can become a sustaining member for as little as $20 and in return, we'll immediately hide those pesky ads plus provide access to future articles for a full year. This winning combination vastly improves your AAJ experience and allow us to vigorously build on the pioneering work we first started in 1995. So enjoy an ad-free AAJ experience and help us remain a positive beacon for jazz by making a donation today.Showcase
Buy Now
Featured
Darwin AI: Surivior Choice
By Alex Otey buy
Carnaval - The Songs Were So Beautiful
By Antonio Adolfo buyGiveaway
