Scandinavia has constantly proven, through the years, to be one of the leading countries in Europe for Jazz artists, artists able to embrace the sounds and the styles of the Masters of the genre and transporting them in a more modern dimension, in a space where they are free to explore their own musicianship and still being able to homage their music heroes.
One of those many creative and very talented artists, it is the Danish saxophonist Jeppe Zacho, someone that loves to define his playing style, as Zacho also highlighted in the liner notes of his debut album just released and called Introducing Jeppe Zacho, as "Modern Jazz In The Old Fashioned Way".
The Danish saxophonist was not wrong, in describing his style as such. The seven pieces included in Introducing Jeppe Zacho's track list are diverse, stylistically and yet very cohesive, with Zacho's saxophone drawing interesting, very imaginative and highly engaging sonic tangents that fit rather marvelously into each of the pieces written for this album.
In-between echoes of Ornette Coleman, Tito Puente and Henry Mancini, Zacho's saxophone sound moves effortlessly into each of the composition, splendidly supported by an impressive array of musicians able to generate the perfect layers of sound for Zacho's improvisations.
The Danish saxophonist's studio musicians that worked with Zacho on Introducing.. are all first class. From the Rhythm Section provided by the clean, precise and powerful sound of Anders Fjeldsted's double bass and the muscular, nervous and exciting drumming of Henrik Holst Hansen, plus the added support of the Congas Powerhouse Eliel Lazo on a couple of the album's numbers, then going through the elaborate and sometimes nostalgic piano moods brought by Thomas Bornø, until getting to the effervescent sound of Jonas Due on trumpet and flugehorn, Zacho places each instrument at the right time and in the right place of each piece of the record just like a chess player would, maximizing beautifully every individual skill of each of the musicians taking part to this record in a very clever, organic and efficient way.
Jeppe Zacho has really built a solid debut record, through Introducing Jeppe zacho, by showing all the bags of talent that the Danish artist possesses in a way that leaves the door open to all those that love Modern Jazz with no boundaries.
Introducing.. among many wonderful surprises that the record carries within, is also a highly credible sonic identity card that speaks highly of an artist that, surely enough, is destined to deliver even bigger records in years to come.
Introducing Jeppe Zacho is out now and it is available to be purchased via Zacho's Bandcamp Official Page
