Release Date: 20 December 2019
Label: Enja
Packaging Type: Digipak
No of Units: 1
Barcode: 063757967828
Genres: Jazz Contemporary
Description
The Opposite of What - with this enigmatic title, renowned guitarist-composer Geoff Goodman takes the next step in a lifelong musical journey that has crisscrossed a psychic sound territory ranging from Greece and the mid-East to the Mississippi Delta, from India to Appalachia and the Ozarks. Now he once again tests the pulse of his musical heartland - jazz - with some fellow travelers who have been playing with Geoff in a variety of groups over the last two decades. American drummer Bill Elgart, whose kudos go back to the 60's and his work with such jazz greats as Paul Bley, Sam Rivers, Carla Bley, and Jack Walrath, is an under-sung hero on the instrument. Clarinetist Rudi Mahall has long been a leading light and instrumental innovator on the German and European jazz scene. Although both are known for their work on the outer limits of the music, neither should be pigeon-holed – their overview encompasses the jazz landscape, as Opposite attests. Both in their 30's, French saxophonist Mathieu Bordenave and German bassist Andreas Kurz are the youngsters in the group, and are seasoned, sought-after veterans of the jazz wars; Kurz has been working with Geoff off and on for the past decade, and Bordenave's connection with the guitarist goes back some seven years. Both are on Geoff's highly-regarded 2015 album Inverted Forest.
Geoff's desire to take this particular group on the road and into the studio came about partly because "I wanted to touch base again with Rudi – he's always been one of my favorite players, and I knew his and Matthieu's styles would complement each other. Bill and Rudi worked together in my last quintet, and Andy has become my bassist of choice. The idea of letting these guys loose together excited me." So Goodman got to work putting together some music that would do just that for the group. What Goodman and Co. come up with embraces what small ensemble jazz is all about when it clicks.
Tracklisting
Aki Takase & Daniel Erdmann
Rebecca Trescher
Johannes Enders, Renato Chicco & Jorge Rossy
Anke Helfrich
Lisa Wahlandt
Roy Nathanson
MoonMot
Makiko Hirabayashi Trio
Patchwork Jazz Orchestra
Elaine Delmar
Ross McHenry
Open Thread (Peggy Lee, Julien Wilson, Theo Carbo, Dylan van der Schyff)
Antonio Farao
Mark Guiliana
Nigel Price Organ Trio
Conrad Herwig
