Simon Toldam Orkester – Stork: Bells of Sunday

Bells of Sunday
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Artist: Simon Toldam Orkester - Stork
Genre: Jazz
Label: ILK

Danish pianist and composer Simon Toldam has one foot in the European avant-garde and the other in old-school free jazz. His small group work, with drummer Han Bennink and his own trio, reveals a thoughtful and lyrical player, interested in the silence around the notes, but one who also likes to visit the noisy edges of musical expression. Toldam's Orkester, named after the bird that traditionally brings new life into the world, is actually a sextet, with horns recalling Charles Mingus, George Russell and Ornette Coleman, but also alive to a more contemporary European aesthetic. Bells of Sunday is part of adventurous Copenhagen label ILK's new White Label series, available – wait for it – in limited-edition vinyl only. It's amazing what they can do with technology nowadays. whitelabelseries.dk

Cormac Larkin

Cormac Larkin

Cormac Larkin, a contributor to The Irish Times, is a musician, writer and director