Another Frankfurt inevitability

Along with the Städel, the Jazzkeller is another unmissable when I'm in Frankfurt. Impressively, this is its 70th anniversary year. That's 20 years older than the Sydney Opera House and shortly after WW2. I think of the devastation of bombing in Germany and assume that basements were amongst the few usable spaces after carpet bombing. I guess they were used for protection then temporary accommodation, then became available for cheaper uses like jazz clubs. Whatever, it's a classic space with a noble history of major artist visits, if small and acoustically imperfect. This night Jazzkeller featured a quartet around Martin Sasse and Tony Lakatos; I think it was Tony sitting in with Martin's trio. This was good old hard bop done with considerable skill and plenty of solos all round. I heard Martin's piano as playing the changes but with frequently moving chromatic substitutions. Tony seemed mostly a big, fat tenor tone running though chordal cells, interesting in themselves without substitutions, but they were often enough thrown in as well. Vladimir on drums wrote some worthy tunes, not least a lovely ballad, and soloed solidly, heavy on toms and middy-pitched rolls. Martin, this time the bassist, again wrote some interesting tunes, not least one with several somewhat unconnected but effective passages and explosive melodies ending on descending tritones which were nicely played unison by bass and tenor. This Martin sat nicely, undemandingly, but could double up for some light flurries of notes at breakneck speed. Loved that! Otherwise, they played 2 sets of 5 and 4 tunes over a few hours. The Jazzkeller attracts tourists so there were departures in the break then mid-second set and urgently when the gig ended. Thus are the renowned jazz clubs in Europe. But it was an enlivening night out, hearing breakneck swing (the second take on a blues was at 260). The one non-original was Skylark and that was sweet and familiar. Otherwise originals by the trio. The night ws enlivening also for the chats with various people over for the Frankfurt Bookfair (400k attendees and 7k stands in the venue. Wow). I chatted with guys from New Jersey (bigger population) and Finland (smaller population, 5m). Like I chatted with two Fins from a Sami Museum at the Städel yesterday. This is all nicely cosmopolitan and part of why we travel. Oh, and a chat with Martin the bassist, about amps (Glockenklang Blue Bird and Acoustic 8-1 bin) and pickups (again Glockenklang) and strings (Spirocore Weich solo strings tuned down a semitone) and acoustics, but that's just jazz.

Martin Sasse (piano) and Tony Lakatos (tenor) led a quartet with Martin Gjakonovski (bass) and Vladimir Konstadinovic (drums) at the Jazzkeller, Frankfurt.