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Reviews

Benjamin Koppel — Anna's Dollhouse
(Bandcamp Cowbell Music no#, 2022, CD / LP / DL)

by Jon Davis, Published 2023-02-19

Anna's Dollhouse Cover art

On Anna’s Dollhouse, saxophonist Benjamin Koppel presents a set of tunes featuring Danish vocalist Cæcilie Norby. They’re all original compositions with Koppel writing the music to Norby’s lyrics. The supporting combo consists of Johannes Weidenmueller (bass), Peter Erskine (drums), Jacob Andersen (percussion), and Kenny Werner (piano), and there’s also a string section featuring members of the Duen Danish National Youth Ensemble (arranged by Koppel’s father Anders). The general mood is rather laid-back, and for the first two tracks I start to think this is run-of-the-mill vocal jazz (which generally doesn’t interest me). The third track is “Black Water,” which wanders into dark territory harmonically, with some unusual changes and unexpected dissonance. The melody slips into a Middle Eastern mode when Norby sings “How do you explain war to a child?” and it’s clear her lyrics don’t deal with simple interpersonal relationships. Werner’s eclectic style on the piano is well suited to the music, which has a tinge of influence from European Classical music. There’s very little connection to the blues in evidence. Andersen’s percussion is used for color rather than grooves, with wooden rattles and metallic tinkles punctuating phrases. Erskine often indulges in splashes of activity that suit the mood instead of just holding down a tempo. Oddly enough, considering the title, the most energetic tune is “Sketches of Life and Death,” which has a positively bouncy opening section with lyrics followed by a longer instrumental section at a lesser intensity. “Ghost of Europe” is another upbeat tune, and at just over two minutes, the shortest on the album. Norby’s voice is fluid and expressive, with impeccable phrasing and just the right touch of vibrato. It’s nice to hear a jazz vocalist this good interpreting something other than standards. For fans of vocal jazz, I’d recommend Anna’s Dollhouse as a touch of something different, and for jazzophiles who are suspicious of vocal music, it’s worth a listen — it just might win you over.

Filed under: New releases, 2022 releases

Related artist(s): Benjamin Koppel, Anders Koppel

More info
http://benjaminkoppel1.bandcamp.com/album/annas-dollhouse-2

 

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