The German-born, NYC-based, Berklee honors grad pianist Axel Schwintzer thrives on versatility, and the multi-national makeup of his band reflects that. A dual-sax/keyboards/guitar/bass/drums band playing jazz that veers from funky pop-jazz (“Second Guess”, Youtube below) to acoustic modern (“Caveat”) to sharp bebop (“Wishing Well”), where Casper Gyldensoe’s guitar chops is just one of many highlights by Axel’s talented group. The songs themselves are also a star attraction, as the leader managed to construct and arrange tunes that sound appealing and fresh at a surface level while keeping it busy and interesting with a lot of things going on harmonically underneath that surface. Schwintzer once studied under Russell Ferrante and cites the Yellowjackets as his primary influence, composition-wise. Thus, it’s safe to issue this axiom about Uncommon Sense: if you like the Yellowjackets, you’re going to like Axel’s Axiom, too.
Uncommon Sense was released October 4 by Armored Records. Visit Axel’s Axiom’s website. ‘Half Notes’ are quick-take thoughts on music from Something Else! Reviews, presented whenever the mood strikes us.
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