Home » Jazz Articles » Album Review » Polder: Polder

Polder: Polder

By Bruce Lindsay
May 8, 2015
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Polder is a Dutch quintet, led by bassist and composer

Guus Bakker

" data-original-title="" title="">Guus Bakker. Bakker has been a professional musician since the mid-90s, with an extensive resum�� as a sideman, so it's perhaps surprising that Polder is his debut as a bandleader and writer. His unhurried pace is rewarded by a varied and engaging collection of tunes.

Polder's line-up features the slightly unusual mix of saxophone (

Nils van Haften

saxophone

" data-original-title="" title="">Nils van Haften who also plays bass clarinet), trombone (

Vincent Veneman

trombone
b.1984

" data-original-title="" title="">Vincent Veneman), guitar (

Andreas Suntrop

" data-original-title="" title="">Andreas Suntrop), bass and drums (Pim Dros).

The music ranges from punchy, groove-focussed numbers such as "Duck & Hide"—with Bakker and Dros in particularly assertive mood—to the straight-ahead swing of "November Rain" and the gentler "Dawn," centered on Van Haften's saxophone and Veneman's warm-toned trombone, and "Twenty Two." When Suntrop ramps up his guitar sound—as he does on "Look A Here" and "Afternoon"—the music takes on a fusion-meets-prog urgency. The catchy "Souldust," co-written by Bakker and Suntrop, is a fine example of the quintet in full flight, flowing melodic lines from sax and trombone over a funky rhythm.

"fOrnette" and "State Of Monk" suggest two possible influences for Bakker's music. "fOrnette" is a slow, almost melancholy, tune with Van Haften's bass clarinet at its heart: fairly brief at just over three minutes but an album highlight. Despite the absence of a piano, "State Of Monk" wears

Thelonious Monk

piano
1917 - 1982

" data-original-title="" title="">Thelonious Monk's influence proudly as its stylish swing brings the enjoyable Polder to a close.

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Track Listing

Duck & Hide; Dawn; Afternoon; Souldust; Twenty Two; fOrnette; November Rains; Look A Here; Way Back; State Of Monk.

Personnel

Polder

Nils Van Haften: saxophone, bass clarinet; Vincent Veneman: trombone; Andreas Suntrop: guitar; Guus Bakker: bass; Pim Dros: drums.

Album information

Title: Polder | Year Released: 2015 | Record Label: Zennez Records

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