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Mareike Wiening — Future Memories
(Bandcamp Greenleaf GRE 1088, 2021, CD / DL)

by Jon Davis, Published 2022-02-21

Future Memories Cover art

On Future Memories, Mareike Wiening’s combo features three of the same players who appeared on Metropolis Paradise (2019): bassist Johannes Felscher, guitarist Alex Goodman, and saxophonist Rich Perry. New this time is Glenn Zaleski at the piano. As with that previous outing, the compositions are the stars, starting out with “Northern Sail,” a catchy mid-tempo tune with a breezy melody and fine solos from Goodman and Felscher. “El Escorial” changes things up, starting with a brief drum solo before the guitar introduces an unusual line that develops into a Latin feel with a great bass line doubled between the bass and the piano. The melody is handled by the tenor sax and guitar with some nice parallel lines. There are lots of clever moments in the arrangement emphasizing interplay between the pitched instruments. This might be my favorite track on the album. “An Idea Is Unpredictable” has an unusual chord progression which is arpeggiated in different ways between the guitar and piano, which is a really nice touch. On “RiChanges” we get a bouncy post-bop head with rhythm stops behind a quick melody; Perry and Zaleski get the solo spots on this one, and the higher energy level is fun to hear. The title track is a ballad that slips in some sophisticated harmonies. Goodman’s tone generally features just a hint of distortion on the attack, giving the music a welcome edge. Perry’s solos don’t venture into extended techniques, but he works his tone enough to keep it interesting. Zaleski captures the way Wiening arranges her tunes well in his playing, with contrapuntal lines here and there. Mareika Wiening definitely comes out of a more European tradition of jazz, with more of a basis in 20th Century classical music than blues. Future Memories is another win from a drummer with a real flair for writing interesting tunes and arranging them creatively.

Filed under: New releases, 2021 releases

Related artist(s): Mareike Wiening

More info
http://mareikewiening.bandcamp.com/album/future-memories

 

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