Customer Reviews

April

5 star:		(0)
4 star:		(2)
3 star:		(0)
2 star:		(1)
1 star:		(0)

 

 

This is one of those albums that you'll either love or hate. As you can see from my rating, I loved it. Ms. Abbuehl's voice is the perfect companion to the very (and I do mean *very*) minimalistic musical accompaniment that appears on her album, APRIL. Her voice is so smoothly sedutctive that I found myself transported to a small, smoke-filled 1930's bar before I knew it. Then I snapped out of it and thought, "WOW!" This is the kind of music that you should like if you like David Lynch or film noir. On the other hand, if you like the more lush, "classic" arrangments of the 40's and 50's crooners, then this may not be the album for you. While hauntingly beautiful, the arrangements are so spare as to be extremely melancholy -- a feeling that is enhanced by Abbuehl's slow, soft style. Basically, if you've ever suffered from severe depression after listening to an album, give this one a pass. But, if you can handle the sadness, then this is definitely a "find" of an album.

My favorite track on APRIL would have to be Abbuehl's stunning version of "A.I.R.". I never thought so little instrmentation and vocals could fill up the atmosphere so much! The only thing I could have wished for was more of the album. I gave APRIL a 4 star rating instead of 5 stars because I feel that Abbuehl is not yet at her peak -- not yet showing us her best work. But, if you are a fan of Jazz and lazy, rainy afternoons, then this is the album for you. Give it a try; Susanne Abbuehl will surely seduce you!

I often got sent recordings by jazz vocalists, but I seldom recommended any in the pages of The $ensible Sound. Quite frankly, most of them are pretty tired. As soon as I auditioned April, however, I knew that it was going to get an enthusiastic review, because this release is fresh, different, and very, very beguiling.

Vocalist Abbuehl is backed by Wolfert Brederode on keyboards, Christof May on clarinet and bass clarinet, and Samuel Rohrer on drums and percussion. The sound of the instruments adds greatly to the overall musical effect of the album, with the spare piano sound (along the lines of Marilyn Crispell), haunting clarinet sound, and the subtle percussion sound providing a perfect musical complement to Abbuehl's vocals. Many of the texts are by e.e. cummings, and there is music by Carla Bley, Prabha Atre, and even an arrangement of "'Round Midnight."

Yes, I know that this sounds awfully artsy and pretentious, but believe me, it works. Not only is this a richly entertaining set, it is recognizable as jazz. How exciting it is to hear somebody doing something new and different that still feels firmly rooted and recognizable. Abbuehl and her cohort have made a sparkling gem of a recording, captured in a setting of crystal-clear sound by ECM engineer Jan Erik Kongshaug.

i like to hear people read stuff they wrote and sometimes hear other people read stuff that other people wrote but this takes it a little bit too far because i think ecm thinks that they would take the lady poet vocal to another level and they sort of fell short.