Saxophonist Florian Egli’s band Weird Beard with Dave Gisler
on guitar, Martina Berther on bass and Rico Baumann on drums makes music that
will move from a whisper to a scream, rooted in modern jazz but also drawing on
a wide range of other influences. “The Meaning of Meaning” opens the album with
subtle bass and drums developing a medium tempo, and Egli’s saxophone entering
with a dreamy tone. Gisler’s guitar breaks out nicely; showering sparks over
the proceedings, as the band moves to a more strident conclusion. Hazy
saxophone and guitar set the tone for “Maja” with light toned saxophone lifting
off on a bed of gentle guitar and percussion. The swirls and eddies from each
instrument become more intense and prominent, deeply engaging with each other
in improvisational dialogue. “No Man On” is short but very powerful, with heavy
electric funk coming from the guitar, bass and drums and it makes for a nice
contrast to hear Elgi’s cool saxophone glide over such a nasty rhythm. Snarling
guitar and whip cracking drums keep up a wicked beat, and Gisler develops
another excellent guitar solo before the full band crashes to a ferocious
ending. There is a long electronic tone and samples lending a feel of ominous
abstraction to “Old Places.” Heavily amplified guitar kicks off a massive wall
of noise, which is met with heavy percussion. Choppy guitar and drums combine
with urgent saxophone to make for a very exciting performance, powerful and
heavy music that is driven relentlessly forward. “Waiting” has an odd elastic
tone and rhythm, which builds to a nice fast pace, and a very fast collective
improvisation that is complex and exciting. The music drops off into a quieter
section where Gisler’s guitar arcs through the air and the band finishes with a
dynamic flourish. This album was quite interesting, because the band was
comfortable playing both jazz and more experimental fare. They worked well
together as a group, and also have some very potent soloists making them a band
to be reckoned with.
Everything Moves - amazon.com
