Perhaps to be expected

Perhaps I shouldn’t have been surprised but I was and I still am as I think of it. Jazzkeller doesn’t normally open for gigs on Tuesday nights but there was a jazz festival concert at the Alten Opera celebrating local success Albert Mangelsdorff and so a special, free late night jam at Jazzkeller. Form the top it was huge. A piano trio was on offer as host but tenor sat in from the first notes. The tunes were standard, obvious enough, but the takes were inventive, imaginative, contemporary and full of energy. The tenor was Peter Klohmann, nicely presented in suit and white shirt, young and hairy, with thoughtful phrasing and substitutions and a blissful tone, playing through seemingly endless choruses with real interest and changing themes. His history in the German Youth Jazz Orchestra "BujazzO" and more. The bass, Hanns Hohn, was a stunner. He’s built for the bass, tall and strong, with big sound from firm strings, big woody tone, strength and flexibility into thumb positions and expressive phrasing. Pianist, Nico Hering, was variously chromatics and melodicism, restrained and explosive. And drums, Mathis Grossmann. At first he seemed simple, unaffected, happy to sit back. This was nice reliable, supportive playing. But then his solo, in the first tune, was probably the best example of solo development I have been aware of. From just single notes, he gradually built rhythms and cross rhythms and complexity to an eventual climax of rock intensity and a denouement so everyone recognised and returned clearly to the start of a new head. Stunning. This was just for openers. A break and other sit-ins. I didn’t catch all names but notably Dennis Sekretarev playing an impressive bop trumpet and a senior master, Tony Lakatos, on tenor. Tony was a revelation. To my ears, bop in style but with an easy overlay of modernity that twisted phrases and introduced contemporary dissonance. He’s on Youtube playing with Joe Lovano, Anthony Jackson and Branford Marsalis at Jazzkeller and otherwise. No slouch. This was a mature master at his best. Wonderful. There were others too, and some who were seriously impressive. I didn’t get all names. I played but shouldn’t have. This was powerful and out. Our Work song disintegrated into free (how could that happen?) and felt more comfortable there. Drums were busy and driving as hell and piano out anywhere but hugely impressive. Then after I was amused to see the pianist had a bandaged hand. A stunner that I should perhaps have expected.

Jazzkeller Frankfurt held a jam session to celebrate Albert Mangelsdorff. Jammers included Nico Hering (piano), Hanns Hohn (bass), Mathis Grossmann (drums), Peter Klohmann (tenor), Tony Lakatos (tenor) and Dennis Sekretarev (trumpet).