Michel Meis 4Tet - Kaboom [CD]

<p>"Kaboom" Behind this picturesque title lies the explosive mixture created by the 4tet of the Luxembourg drummer Michel Meis on his second album. This time the band has a guest on some of the songs: the French violinist Theo Ceccaldi. <p>The well-structured pieces of the band leader have exactly the right mix of eclectic modern jazz and improvisational desire for experimenting. Meis can rely on his 4tet, which has grown into an unbeatable unity since the debut album "Lost in Translation", which received excellent reviews. "No member of the band can be replaced and it would significantly affect the sound if one were missing," Michel Meis stated. <p>The 4tet is held together by the French pianist Cédric Hanriot. "Cédric Hanriot is a pianist the kind of which I haven't heard many times in my life," Meis said. "He has his Cedric moments, during which I recognize him immediately, but his solos are always surprising because he doesn't hesitate to leave his comfort zone. He always takes substantial risks, and we adapt to them." Between the longer pieces, Meis has included small miniatures on "Kaboom" where two musicians usually ester into conversation. However, the album is opened by the impetuous "Full Pedal Jacket", which explores the abundance of possibilities in just under nine minutes that the 4tet and its guest have at their disposal. "'Full Pedal Jacket' tends to go in the pop direction," Meis believes. "It's based on a riff that I experimented with." The whole band joined together to play "State of Uncertainty" which shifts between edgy rhythms and small melodic treats. "I wrote the piece during the first lockdown," Meis recounted. "The beat is repeatedly broken up, whereby the piece is intended to describe the prevailing uncertainty." "She", which is led into by "Coming Together", is a ballad Meis wrote especially for Alisa Klein. Here, the 4tet is in its natural habitat and can play out all its lyrical strength. The title song is a tour de force, in which the 4tet and its guest glide through an unprecedented variety of styles; the band simply bursts with energy and joy of playing. "'Kaboom' combines all the styles I deal with," band leader Meis summarized briefly and concisely, "hence the explosive title." "The album ends with the more quiet number "Re:build", which nevertheless covers a large dynamic range. "'Re:Build' is a commissioned composition about the economic and social reconstruction of destroyed Luxembourg after the Second World War" Meis stated. "I tried to portray this through substantial silence. The piece keeps going up and down dynamically." The white cat on the cover also has some significance, because it illustrates what is also the hallmark of the Michel Meis 4tet: "Cats do what they want and have a mind of their own," Meis knows. <p>Artists: Michel Meis - Drums Alisa Klein - Trombone Cedric Hanriot - Piano Stephan Goldbach - Double bass Theo Ceccaldi - Violin