IN BETWEEN

If you follow my reviews you'll see that I receive releases from the Italian label AltrOck quite frequently. And to be honest with you, some of the best releases of the latest two years came from this label: Camelias Garden, La Coscienza Di Zeno, The Worm Ouroboros, Not A Good Sign and so on. It's really hard to find an album from AltorOck/Fading that's not good, not to mention weak. Now, having said that you may think that the album I'm about to review is another great one' well'

It is certain that Spaltklang, a project born in 2001 from an idea of saxophone player Markus Stauss, is a composed of high quality musicians and that In Between (2013) is amazingly produced and will please ANY Jazz Fusion lovers. The problem here, at least for me is: what's the point?

Now, I admit, Jazz Fusion and any kind of 'Free Music' is not for me. For me, Jazz Fusion is a kind of music that doesn't ring any bell and fail to hold my attention as I think it's a kind of music that just plays along without any plan. I am a kind of guy that likes more cerebral music that's been planned and just then executed.

Spaltklang, as I mentioned, is guided by a Swiss saxophone player Markus Stauss and for their 5th album In Between (2013), he renewed the band and now they also have Richard Koch (trumpet), Francesco Zago (electric guitar and loops), R'my Str'uli (drums) and Christian Weber (double bass) in their line-up. Markus and Francesco are also part of the band Yugen, that follows pretty much the same sonic path.

In Between (2013) is exactly what every Jazz Fusion album usually is: too long songs with almost no main riffs in the them and improvisations along the whole of the five tracks and 59 minutes of the album. Maybe the exception is '4 Elements' and that's exactly why this is one of the most interesting tracks on the album! It shows you can have a main and interesting riff as a lifeline to the listener and still be able to freely move within the music. 'Ural Fragment' follows the same way and again shows interesting moments. But for me the Drone sequences on the track make it uninteresting again.

Resuming, if you're a Jazz Fusion fan, and you like the liberty is has, this will be simply great and you should definitely check it. As I mentioned before, all AltrOck releases are high quality material and you can buy them without any fear. Now, if you're like me, and you just can't stand Jazz Fusion' pass along, cause this will not be your cup of tea.

(Originally posted on progshine.net)

Review originally written for www.therocktologist.com

This is the fifth studio album from Spaltklang, a Swizz act led by mastermind Markus Stauss, who I've been in touch with since some years ago, exploring into his several musical projects in which Spaltklang is included, of course. His jazz and improvisation tendencies have led him to create interesting and challenging music, which is not truly easy to dig, but once you are into it, you cannot escape. This happens with this band. I've had the chance to listening and reviewing to their previous three CDs, which I've found great, and now I have the opportunity to write about "In Between", a five-song album that changed a bit the direction of Spaltklang, with the addition of Francesco Zago, a long-time friend of Stauss, and a wonderful musician.

What first caught my attention about this albums, was the length of the songs, because in the previous ones there were not so many tracks over the ten-minute range, and this time 4 out of 5 tracks are over that 10-minute mark, while the other lasts 9:30 minutes, so though the musical vein might be the same, this time Spaltklang changed a bit its style, morphing into a deeper improve-like jazz fusion tune. That explosion can be discovered in the first moments of "Look for, which clearly show the tendency of this particular album. In those 12 minutes we can find several changes, several stops and go`s, parts where the music flows and others where the winds create dark passages, sometimes accompanied by drums and bass, adding that rhythm which sometimes is simply lost somewhere.

The second song is "In Between", the title track is rockier, here the addition of the guitar puts different textures, however, don't expect a song easier to dig, no, it does not have a true rhythm, its structure vanishes and then we can listen to saxes here and there, with lots of stops, of silences, creating a kind of somber tension, which in moments might bore you. Better moments come later, but this song was not my true love, to be honest.

In "4 Elements" the sax sounds first, later drums join, and some seconds later the guitar also makes its contribution, here the song does have a rhythm, which is closer to jazz and more enjoyable than the previous tracks, by the way. What I like of this song is that it caught my attention since the first seconds, and its cadence, movement and even joy, made me feel comfortable during the whole 12 minutes. It is obvious that you will find some free jazz moments, some changes in mood and tempo, but the interest here prevails, fortunately.

"A Suite" is as you guess, yet another suite, this time reaching the 10-minute mark. The jazz tendency is clear again, and clearer the tendency to the winds, though here the bass plays a more important role than in the previous tracks, at least here I listen to a bass player freer, it transmits good energy and vibes, After four minutes there is a stop, silence and then new elements are brought, so we can expect a new structure or something like that, anyway, in moments the restructuration is so slow, that one could close the eyes and fall asleep. That middle part is not the brightest, however, the band compensates it when the music returns to its origin, with that nice bass sound and the chat between winds.

And finally "Ural Fragment" which is a slow free jazz track, which is also a long one, so if you feel the album has been slow and difficult to dig, here you will get crazy. Honestly I prefer the Spaltklang with shorter tracks, I felt more involved with them, with these ones, sometimes I just can match with the music, in moments my mind loses it interest with the music and focus in another things, which of course I assume it is not the goal of the music. So in moments I felt tired, and now with this last song, I sad "really, another long one?", though I must confess I like its crazy guitar moment after the fifth minute.

I am sorry Markuss, you may have expected a better rating, but I think so far this is my least favorite Spaltklang album, or maybe I just need more time and get used to its new format. My rate, 3 stars.

Enjoy it!

Swiss band SPALTKLANG has been around since 2001, different incarnations of the band releasing a total of five full-length studio albums so far. In 2013 a brand new version of Spaltklang was ready with "In Between", the most recent of their productions to date, which was released through the Italian Altrock label.

"In Between" is a production that invites to a great number of associations playing on its title, and can truly be said to be in between something on a number of different levels. While I can't see this CD ever reaching out to a broad audience, those with a defined taste for challenging instrumental music with strong improvisational orientation should find plenty here to enjoy. A taste for experimental and free-form jazz will probably be an advantage, and a certain affection for avant-garde progressive rock and chamber music will probably come in handy too. If you truly love all of the above, then chances are good that you'll be able to decode and truly enjoy this hour-long escapade into the realms in between.