Home » Jazz Articles » Album Review » Welf Dorr, Elias Meister, Dmitry Ishenko, Kenny Wollesen...

Welf Dorr, Elias Meister, Dmitry Ishenko, Kenny Wollesen: So Far So Good

By Glenn Astarita
July 26, 2024
View read count

Welf Dorr, Elias Meister, Dmitry Ishenko, Kenny Wollesen: So Far So Good

Germany-reared saxophonist

Welf Dorr

saxophone

" data-original-title="" title="">Welf Dorr has been a fixture in the New York City avant-garde jazz scene since 1995 and brings his distinctive blend of experimental and free jazz to life with this album. Dorr has been a relentless innovator, merging elements of blues, jazz and rock into his compositions. As leader of his group, Welf Dorr Unit, he has consistently pushed the boundaries of modern jazz. With So Far So Good, he continues this tradition, delivering a collection that is thought-provoking and sonically venturesome.

The album itself is a genre-hopping joyride. One minute one may be cruising down a smooth free bop highway, the next neck-deep in a funky swamp, and with no warning, Dorr has launched into a stratospheric exploration of free jazz that may leave the head spinning (in a good way). It is a testament to Dorr's skill that these disparate elements connect into a cohesive whole, a testament to his ability not just to play the notes, but to truly conduct an aural adventure.

"Keep On Keeping On" is a medium-tempo, loosely enacted funk piece, featuring

Elias Meister

guitar

" data-original-title="" title="">Elias Meister's skronking guitar work and popping unison choruses with Dorr. Yet during the bridge, the guitarist unleashes ravaging psycho jazz licks. Here, the band is intense but tempered with a happy-go-lucky musical gait. On "Impatience" the musicians fuse an

Ornette Coleman

saxophone, alto
1930 - 2015

" data-original-title="" title="">Ornette Coleman-like melody, complete with the leader's sultry phrasings as they teeter toward the free zone. Moreover,

Kenny Wollesen

drums

" data-original-title="" title="">Kenny Wollesen's perky drumming is surrounded by his cohorts' smoldering mid-section amid fierce crash and burn breakouts. Dorr slants the primary theme, segueing into the lower registers, led by the drummer's tumbling tom rolls.

"Crazy S" is a brief piece, which contains the soloists' succinct unison lines and the leader's rapid single-note riffs. Here, the guitar's scraping and quivering notes provide the knockout blow. It sounds like a good soundtrack for an off-centered horror movie. Otherwise, fans of the legendary NYC Downtown scene ensemble Curlew may be smitten with this presentation.

Nonetheless, Dorr proves that the journey of jazz is as exciting as ever. He aims to take the listener on a ride through the unexpected twists and turns of his musical landscape—because so far, it has all been very, very good.

Learn more about our star rating system

Track Listing

So Far So Good; Keep On Keeping On; Eternity; Impatience; Red Lebanese; Painful Long Goodbye; Crazy S; Bushwick 16; Sweet Dissonance.

Personnel

Welf Dorr

saxophone

Elias Meister

guitar

Kenny Wollesen

drums

Dmitry Ishenko

bass

Album information

Title: So Far So Good | Year Released: 2024 | Record Label: Self Produced

PREVIOUS / NEXT

Together
< Previous

1992, Tom Coster, Adam Holzman, Kenw...
Next >

Welf Dorr Concerts

Sep 14 Sun

Welf Dorr, Luke Glavanovits, Dmitry Ishenko, Yuko Togami

The Keep
Ridgewood, NY

Sep 21 Sun

Welf Dorr, Shoko Nagai, Dmitry Ishenko, Kevin Shea

The Keep
Ridgewood, NY

Sep 28 Sun

Welf Dorr, Luke Glavanovits, Dmitry Ishenko, Yuko Togami

The Keep
Ridgewood, NY

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.