Ben Zahler’s Songgoing - Quietly Cold Music CD

Quietly cold- the title of this album may be somewhat misleading, as the music is neither as quiet nor as cold as it suggests. Intense songs, a girlish-fresh, innocent-sounding voice, the concise flute playing of the bandleader and a compelling, swinging groove: these are the outstanding features of this evocative, drumless quartet. It is the well-honed rhythm section made up by Thomas Baumgartner and Marco Nenniger that provides the ideal foundation on top of which voice and flute confidently layer their melody lines. Whether the pianist is establishing the base color or placing accents in his solos, or the bass player is providing the grounding for a ballad or getting into the groove with a counter-melody, Scott LaFaro-style: this duo seems joined at the hip. The experience of both Baumgartner and Nenniger extends beyond jazz projects, and at times they enter into a dialogue with voice and flute while at others they hold themselves back or even fall silent to provide space for the other two. Isabelle Ritter embodies quite the opposite of jazz singers of former times. Her singing is highly versatile yet consistently clear and sassy, lighthearted and childlike. Bandleader Ben Zahler performs his own works on this album, with the exception of two by Thomas Baumgertner. The songs are contemplative, beautifully rounded, intelligent, and entirely honest.