Kapok: Flatlands

Kapok

Dutch jazz trio Kapok wasted no time recording their debut album Flatlands. within a few a few weeks after their formation they set up shop at Kytopia in Utrecht and pressed "record". After jamming extensively, they sifted through 15 hours of the tape, kept what they liked and used it as a launch pad for further composing and arranging. Bringing in guest players and the full Ragazza Quartet (whose strings add color to two of the tracks), this debut album hits the ground running, bursting at the seams with adventurous music.

Horn players are a rarity in jazz - the sheer volume of other instruments is likely to drown them out, but it's Morris Kliphuis who gives the trio its unique tone of voice. With Timon Koomen on guitar and Remco Menting on drums, the trio rises to the occasion, with an open ear and dexterity that belies their years. Try finding a modern day jazz album that sounds as warm as this one and you will likely to come up empty-handed. Dont' let the rosy glow of the stand-out track Nausicaa fool you - they can switch to Zappa-esque jazz rock as well (Murofushi) and total freak-out in the appropriately titled Herrie (Dutch for "racket") before conjuring a sunny beach in South America in the album's closer Tarantella. Fly like a butterfly, sting like a bee.

Kapok:
Morris Kliphuis: horn, flugelhorn, Wagner tuba, arrangements
Timon Koomen: guitar
Remco Menting: drums, piano