Intensified commitment to the French-African drummer’s programme of “beautifully mutated grooves and jazzy themes” (to quote The Guardian) distinguishes Manu Katché’s third ECM album. Inside an all-new line-up, bassist Pino Palladino nonchalantly reinforces the groove element – he and Katché have much shared history as sessioneers – and helps the pulses of Manu’s tunes to dance. Pianist Rebello has both delicacy of touch and energy to burn, and saxophonist Brunborg, currently playing at a peak, solos passionately on Katché’s melodies. Guest guitarist Jacob Young shades and colours a handful of pieces, while Kami Lyle adds innocent vocals to “Stay With You”. Recorded in the South of France in December 2009 and issued on the eve of a major European tour, “Third Round” is poised to be one of the season’s jazz hits.
Third Round
Manu Katché
- 1Swing Piece
04:54 - 2Keep On Trippin'
05:34 - 3Senses
04:13 - 4Being Ben
04:22 - 5Une larme dans ton sourire
02:26 - 6Springtime Dancing
04:10 - 7Out Take Number 9
02:08 - 8Shine And Blue
04:53 - 9Stay With You
04:30 - 10Flower Skin
04:23 - 11Urban Shadow
02:58
Contemporary jazz that anyone could like, characterised by strong yet open themes, unshowy brilliance and an overall mood of soulfulness and sensitivity. For his third album, French/African drummer Katché has assembled an unusual but effective cast of musicians. … Definitely one of the albums of the year.
Phil Johnson, Independent on Sunday
Man hört elf hell differenzierte, glasklar aufgenommene Lektionen in Geschmeidigkeit. Wieder belegt Katché seine Fähigkeiten, unterhalb der Melodien feinste Texturen zu ziselieren, die seiner Musik eine tiefere Dimension geben. Nuanciert setzt er Impulse aus dem Hintergrund. Sein Spiel ist eskapadenfrei und dennoch unvorhersehbar.
Ulrich Steinmetzger, Rheinischer Merkur
Unaufgeregtheit ist durchgängig Programm, ebenso wie Balance und Unaufdringlichkeit in der Stimmführung. Katché am Schlagzeug ist der diskrete Magier des raffinierten Aufschäumens der so einfach wirkenden und doch mit raffinierter Akzentverschiebung hintergründig funkigen Grooves.
Thomas Fitterling, Rondo
Manu Katchés „dritte Runde“ ist ein Werk des Ausgleichs und der Zurückhaltung, von fast perfekter Schönheit… Bei „Urban Shadow“, dem letzten Stück, spielt Manu Katché gar nicht mit. Ihm reicht es, seine Ballade zu hören, die gesangliche Eleganz des Flügels, das vollmundige Tenorsaxophon, die schwebenden Klänge der Gitarre und den fast akustisch anmutenden E-Bass. Und er wird bald wieder fest aufs Fell schlagen, zur Freude seiner selbst und seiner Hörer.
Norbert Dömling, Süddeutsche Zeitung
Manu Katché beweist durch die Dramaturgie auf Third Round einmal mehr, dass er – wie kaum ein anderer Schlagzeuger – das formale Hirn eines klassisch geschulten Künstlers, das Herz eines Jazzers, das pulsierende Blut eines Popmusikers und die Seele schwarzafrikanischer Klänge in sich vereint und auf unaufdringliche Weise massiv zur Geltung bringt.
Franz X.A. Zipperer, Jazzthetik
Katché präsentiert sich einmal mehr als versierter Komponist, der seinen Musikern intuitiv die passenden Arrangements liefert und diese dann dezent aus dem Hintergrund steuert. … Stets hat der Franzose die gebotenen Mittel zur Hand, um die Beiträge der Kollegen ins rechte Licht zu setzen: Katchés Technik scheint auf einer ungemein durchdachten Handhabung seines umfangreichen Beckenarsenals zu beruhen, was dem Dargebotenen das Schwebende verleiht.
Tom Fuchs, Fono Forum
There’s a bit of the old rock drummer in Mr. Katché’s snappy rimshots on “Keep on Trippin”… and on the funky “Shine and Blue.” But the album also provides plenty of proof of his talent for writing elegant tunes, which he then washes in color with his signature work on the cymbals. Under his hands, a cymbal can tell a story, provide a counterpoint to a melodic line, or become an extension of the harmony.
Corinna da Fonseca-Wollheim, The Wall Street Journal
Katché is a master of subtly and understatement, displaying a feathery touch even as he drives his simpatico ensemble with shimmering accents, distant thunder and irrepressible cadences.
Jazziz
Following on from “Neighbourhood” and “Playground”, the latest installment of the music of Manu Katché on ECM. Recorded in the South of France in December 2009, this “Third Round” finds the French/African drummer enjoying the company of good friends. Once again Katché’s good-natured pieces – characterized by Guardian writer John Fordham as “beautifully mutated grooves and jazzy themes” – encourage inspired performances from the participants. But there is a difference of emphasis, as Katché calls upon the services of some long-term associates.
The feel and focus of the album, with its fully revised band line-up, revolves around the rhythmic understanding shared by Manu and bass guitarist Pino Palladino. As rhythm section partners, they have played together in sessions, projects and bands for around 25 years now and have a dynamic understanding that is special: they float around the beat together, play elastic pulses, divide up the groove between them, supercharge the soloists, while making the process seem effortless as breathing. Latterly, Palladino has been joining Katché for his Arte TV channel jam-music show, “One Shot Not”, in the course of which they have worked with the widest cast of artists across a broad range of music. As players barely heeding distinctions between ‘jazz’ and ‘pop’, they linger at the doorways between the idioms, or drift through them.
Also abetting the fluid rhythmic impetus of “Third Round” is British pianist Jason Rebello, heard on Steinway grand and Fender Rhodes and - like Paladino - making an ECM debut here. Rebello came into contact with Manu when both musicians were part of Sting’s band: they spent a couple of years on the road together. Contributing to the spontaneous, in-the-moment feel of the recording he has helped to bring out the implications of Manu’s melodies. “My music,” Katché explains “offers an atmosphere or a feeling that I want to present to the listener. But the players are not bound to the notes. They should use them as a guide.”
Manu Katché’s band, meanwhile one of the busiest on the touring circuit, has been obliged to adopt a revolving door policy for soloists, and a number of ECM players have passed through its ranks or guested with it over the last six years - including Jan Garbarek, Tomasz Stanko, Marcin Wasilewski, Slawomir Kurkiewicz, Mathias Eick and Trygve Seim. Tore Brunborg has been Katche’s saxophonist in recent seasons. He is prominently featured as soloist on “Third Round” – indeed the record was conceived, Katché explains, for a core quartet with Brunborg, Rebello, Palladino and himself, with guests added for specific sound colours and textures.
Guitarist Jakob Young joins the ensemble for three pieces on the album – “Keep On Trippin’”, “Springtime Dancing” and “Flower Skin”. There is a also a cameo appearance for singer/trumpeter Kami Lyle , on whose debut disc “Blue Cinderella” Katché drummed more than a decade ago. Lyle sings and plays trumpet on “Stay With You” and adds trumpet also to “Flower Skin”. Both Young and Lyle will augment the Katché group for selected concerts in the months ahead.
The feel and focus of the album, with its fully revised band line-up, revolves around the rhythmic understanding shared by Manu and bass guitarist Pino Palladino. As rhythm section partners, they have played together in sessions, projects and bands for around 25 years now and have a dynamic understanding that is special: they float around the beat together, play elastic pulses, divide up the groove between them, supercharge the soloists, while making the process seem effortless as breathing. Latterly, Palladino has been joining Katché for his Arte TV channel jam-music show, “One Shot Not”, in the course of which they have worked with the widest cast of artists across a broad range of music. As players barely heeding distinctions between ‘jazz’ and ‘pop’, they linger at the doorways between the idioms, or drift through them.
Also abetting the fluid rhythmic impetus of “Third Round” is British pianist Jason Rebello, heard on Steinway grand and Fender Rhodes and - like Paladino - making an ECM debut here. Rebello came into contact with Manu when both musicians were part of Sting’s band: they spent a couple of years on the road together. Contributing to the spontaneous, in-the-moment feel of the recording he has helped to bring out the implications of Manu’s melodies. “My music,” Katché explains “offers an atmosphere or a feeling that I want to present to the listener. But the players are not bound to the notes. They should use them as a guide.”
Manu Katché’s band, meanwhile one of the busiest on the touring circuit, has been obliged to adopt a revolving door policy for soloists, and a number of ECM players have passed through its ranks or guested with it over the last six years - including Jan Garbarek, Tomasz Stanko, Marcin Wasilewski, Slawomir Kurkiewicz, Mathias Eick and Trygve Seim. Tore Brunborg has been Katche’s saxophonist in recent seasons. He is prominently featured as soloist on “Third Round” – indeed the record was conceived, Katché explains, for a core quartet with Brunborg, Rebello, Palladino and himself, with guests added for specific sound colours and textures.
Guitarist Jakob Young joins the ensemble for three pieces on the album – “Keep On Trippin’”, “Springtime Dancing” and “Flower Skin”. There is a also a cameo appearance for singer/trumpeter Kami Lyle , on whose debut disc “Blue Cinderella” Katché drummed more than a decade ago. Lyle sings and plays trumpet on “Stay With You” and adds trumpet also to “Flower Skin”. Both Young and Lyle will augment the Katché group for selected concerts in the months ahead.
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