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Moonstone Journey
John Tchicai
Moonstone Journey
Genres: Jazz, Pop
 
  •  Track Listings (10) - Disc #1

Saxophonist John Tchicai blazed a strange trail in the heyday of 1960s jazz. He kept a cool head amidst the most mercurial improvisers, and somehow he's also gained a longer stay on Earth. Tchicai has never slowed in his c...  more »

     
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CD Details

All Artists: John Tchicai
Title: Moonstone Journey
Members Wishing: 0
Total Copies: 0
Label: Da Capo [Naxos]
Original Release Date: 8/24/1999
Re-Release Date: 8/31/1999
Genres: Jazz, Pop
Styles: Avant Garde & Free Jazz, Modern Postbebop, Bebop
Number of Discs: 1
SwapaCD Credits: 1
UPC: 730099944427

Synopsis

Amazon.com
Saxophonist John Tchicai blazed a strange trail in the heyday of 1960s jazz. He kept a cool head amidst the most mercurial improvisers, and somehow he's also gained a longer stay on Earth. Tchicai has never slowed in his creative explorations, though. From avant-funk to punchy, midsize ensemble brawn that would make Charles Mingus proud, Tchicai has excelled at several postbop jazz languages. With Ok Nok ... Kongo, his Danish roots come to the fore--or at least he brings a cast of Danish musicians to the fore with him on Moonstone Journey. The tunes this octet plays are all touched by a beguiling level of simplicity that's laid over their intricate complexities. Tchicai is still a cool head, playing tenor and soprano in ways that dizzy the ear while also serving as leader of this loopy band. They play squirrelly stuff, guitar-snaked little hedges that dance and teeter on midrange notes before dipping into the lowend thanks to Mads Hyhne's expertly warm trombone and Nils Davidsen's bowed bass. Fans of Mingus and Steve Lacy will want to sink into Moonstone Journey. --Andrew Bartlett
 

CD Reviews

The Mad Congolese Dane Strikes Again
Jan P. Dennis | Monument, CO USA | 09/08/2001
(5 out of 5 stars)

"Is there a jazz musician articulate in a greater number of musical settings? Not that I know of. John Tchicai, mercurial maestro, has done something altogether new--crafted music that's both quirky and accessible. OK, some of it's not that quirky, and some of it's not that accessible, but most of it is both. I especially like the spoken parts of "A Chaos with Some Kind of Order"--strangely accented English from obvious non-native speakers, uttered in unison. A truly weird effect--probably unintentional. And don't be scared off by this bit of weirdness--it lasts only a few seconds. All in all, truly different but strangely likeable."