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Tobias Hoffmann Jazz Orchestra: Innuendo

By Jack Bowers
December 24, 2024
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Tobias Hoffmann Jazz Orchestra: Innuendo

Although German-born maestro

Tobias Hoffmann

guitar, electric
b.1982

" data-original-title="" title="">Tobias Hoffmann can readily lay claim to a pair of music-inspired hats, he wears only one of them—that of composer and arranger—on the Tobias Hoffmann Jazz Orchestra's second recording, Innuendo, while placing the other (that of eloquent tenor saxophonist) in the capable hands of the ensemble's dynamic duo,

Robert Unterköfler

saxophone

" data-original-title="" title="">Robert Unterk?fler and

Martin Harms

saxophone, alto

" data-original-title="" title="">Martin Harms. That proves to be a wise decision, as Harms shines brightly on "Sanctuary" and Unterkofler does the same on the closing "Perseverance."

As a writer, Hoffmann does not hesitate to color outside the lines, interweaving seductive melodies and harmonies with bypaths that may best be described as iconoclastic and at times rather dissonant. Even so, he never loses sight of the music's essential purpose, which is to enliven the heart as it entices the ear. And so it is that the album's opening number (and title song) moves quickly from its strident preface into a calmer and more gratifying mode, as do most of Hoffmann's handsome compositions.

"Sanctuary," for example, is an eloquent ballad with a hymn-like ambience, perfectly suited to Harms' eloquent tenor, and he makes the most of his moment in the sun with an extended solo that satisfies and sparkles. The more animated "Perseverance" weaves an alluring melodic pattern before making room for perceptive solos by Unterkofler and trumpeter

Florian Menzel

trumpet

" data-original-title="" title="">Florian Menzel. Following "Innuendo" (whose soloist is alto

Florian Trübsbach

saxophone, alto

" data-original-title="" title="">Florian Trübsbach), Hoffmann explores relative consonance on the luminous "Summer Solstice" (artistic trombone solo courtesy of

Simon Harrer

trombone

" data-original-title="" title="">Simon Harrer) before moving again to a more sophisticated motif with the supple and challenging "No Way Back," whose charismatic soloists are trumpeter

Gerhard Ornig

trumpet

" data-original-title="" title="">Gerhard Ornig and pianist

Viola Hammer

" data-original-title="" title="">Viola Hammer.

"Convictions," inspired by an exercise by trombonist

Bob Brookmeyer

trombone
1929 - 2011

" data-original-title="" title="">Bob Brookmeyer in which only the white keys of the piano are used, uses familiar melodic and harmonic patterns to announce a piercing solo by alto

Patrick Dunst

woodwinds

" data-original-title="" title="">Patrick Dunst before renewing its customary mode in which the ensemble eagerly takes command and ushers it to the finish line. The lissom "Bipolarity," which Hoffmann says was written "to sound like an arranged saxophone solo," showcases instead valve trombonist

Robert Bachner

trombone

" data-original-title="" title="">Robert Bachner with the ensemble's superb sax section and, later, the trumpet section as well. "The Lake," which precedes the closing "Perseverance," is an evocative anthem whose charming melody leads to a rough-hewn guitar solo by

Vilkka Wahl

guitar

" data-original-title="" title="">Vilkka Wahl and a more lyrical statement from trumpeter

Jakob Helling

trumpet
b.1990

" data-original-title="" title="">Jakob Helling.

Hoffmann, who is already a celebrated composer and arranger, continues to show his growth and maturity in both areas on Innuendo, a chromatic showpiece on which his masterful orchestra also shines.

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Track Listing

Innuendo, Summer Solstice, No Way Back, Sanctuary, Convictions, Bipolarity, The Lake, Perseverance

Personnel

Tobias M. Hoffmann

saxophone, tenor

Additional Instrumentation

Woodwinds Florian Trübsbach (Alto Saxophone, Soprano Saxophone, Flute & Clarinet) Patrick Dunst (Alto Saxophone, Soprano Saxophone, Flute & Clarinet) Robert Unterk?fler (Tenor Saxophone, Soprano Saxophone, Flute & Clarinet) Martin Harms (Tenor Saxophone, Bass Clarinet, Flute & Clarinet) Jonas Brinckmann (Baritone Saxophone & Bass Clarinet) Trumpets & Flugelhorns Maximilian Seibert Sebastian Burneci Florian Menzel Gerhard Ornig Jakob Helling Trombones Simon Harrer (Trombone) Robert Bachner (Trombone & Valve Trombone) Daniel Holzleitner (Trombone) Johannes Oppel (Bass Trombone & Tuba) Rhythm Section Vilkka Wahl (Guitar) Viola Hammer (Piano & Synthesizer) Ivar Roban Krizic (Double Bass) Reinhold Schm?lzer (Drums & Electronics) Conductor Tobias Hoffmann

Album information

Title: Innuendo | Year Released: 2024 | Record Label: Mons Records

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