Berlin-based drummer Christian Marien leads a quartet – Christian Marien Quartett – that is set to unveil to the world their first album, one that rejuvenates freestyle jazz simply by being delightfully carefree. Joined by talented performers Tobias Delius (tenor sax, clarinet), Jasper Stadhouders (guitar) and Antonio Borghini (double bass), the Quartett’s strongest suit is the attitude they bring to the art form.
How Long Is Now (MarMade Records) poses a question but it’s also definitively answered by this group. For the Christian Marien Quartett, “now” means not just living in the current moment, but thriving and getting full enjoyment from it. It means zigging when others might zag, making sounds that are uncommon but feel right and most importantly, having fun together.
As the leader, Marien instills that spirit in many ways, starting with compositions that afford his bandmates a lot of leeway, and deploying dynamic rhythms that push everyone else to play on the edge as well.
There’s an offhanded looseness to these sessions that makes it engaging, even when the band goes free. They’re apt to slip into a calypso groove on the fly. “40 Love/Goldrausch” starts that way, infected with the sound of joy as they play with abandon. The melody and tempo threaten to spool out, only for the band to cheerfully return to the theme and deconstruct it again.
But the Quartett doesn’t attack every song the same way. The Steve Lacy-like “The Lobster” moves with some deliberation but still freely as it traverses the uncharted territory between the head at the beginning and end.
“Lilly/Doppelhertz” begins with a fragile, lithe figure, with Stadhouders and Borghini providing the perfect harmonic counterpoint to Delius’ lead lines while Marien on brushes shuffles his groove. But these guys refuse to stay in place and break completely down until seemingly by chance they stumble on a new, odd signature groove, pick up the pace and push forward. The nervous “The Landing” sees Delius and Stadhouders liberated to play on pure instinct because Borghini is holding the song together.
In a reversal of how a lot of avant-jazz songs go, “28-4/Pattersson Blues” starts scattered and then quickly coalesces around Marien’s and Borghini’s base motif, but it’s a motif that is constantly shifting. and culminates nicely into a lively, Delius/Stadhouders duel. In a similar fashion, ” Deésse” is initially atonal before easing into melody but the melody this time is straightforward rock.
How Long Is Now by Christian Marien Quartett is due to drop on April 19, 2024. Get it in your favorite media format over at Bandcamp.
== Christian Marien CDs on Amazon ==
- Darius Jones – ‘Legend of e’Boi (The Hypervigilant Eye)’ - November 15, 2024
- Rich Halley 4 – ‘Dusk And Dawn’ (2024) - November 13, 2024
- Vazesh [Lloyd Swanton, Jeremy Rose + Hamed Sadeghi] – ‘Tapestry’ (2024) - November 12, 2024
