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Alex Koo: Appleblueseagreen

By Dan McClenaghan
June 15, 2019
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The Belgian/Japanese pianist/composer

Alex Koo

piano
b.1990

" data-original-title="" title="">Alex Koo enlisted a pair of first call allstars, saxophonist

Mark Turner

saxophone, tenor
b.1965

" data-original-title="" title="">Mark Turner and trumpeter

" data-original-title="" title="">Ralph Alessi, forming an acoustic chamber trio that brings his vision to life on Appleblueseagreen. The title is taken from the literal translation of the Flemish word "appelblauwzeegroen," to describe a color of ambiguous personality. The music is cinematic, with the first three tunes, "enuD," "Dune" and "Funeral March," giving off a vibe of deep, ruminative sadness, like a soundtrack to the aftermath of a tragedy, the calm after an apocalypse.

Koo plays piano, keys and drums. His guests, saxophonist Turner and trumpeter Alessi, enter the scene on the disc's third offering, "Funeral March," painting a haunted landscape, a chilly fog clinging to the ground, the trees bereft of leaves. "Ghost Parade" retains the mood, conjuring images of translucent figures drifting just above the cold earth.

Taken as a whole, the music's mood flows in a fluid, ECM Records, chamber jazz mode, with an otherworldly quality, though "Etude No. 1: Mirror, Mirror on The Wall," a piano solo, prances, and the brief "Bodily Fluid" features brash horn work. "Etude No. 3" is a delicately rendered, classical-sounding piece, with Koo's supple touch on full display. The title tune searches the color spectrum and, like much of the set, mixes in a dozen shades of grey, before brighter hues are introduced on the set's closer, the majestic "Freedom Pilot," closing out a fine debut.

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Track Listing

enuD; Dune; Funeral March; Ghost Parade; Etude No. 1 Mirror, Mirror, On The Wall; Dormilon; Bodily Fluids; Etude No. 2 The Gaze; The Lone Wanderer; Etude No. 3; Apples Are Blue But the Sea Is Green; Freedom Pilot.

Personnel

Alex Koo

piano

Alex Koo: piano; Mark Turner: saxophone; Ralph Alessi: trumpet.

Album information

Title: Appleblueseagreen | Year Released: 2019 | Record Label: Clever Tree Records

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