Sunday, April 29, 2012

AKA MOON AT DE SINGER

Belgian jazz band Aka Moon turns 20 in 2012. The celebration includes a new album, a short series of concerts, and a rerelease of the first albums as a box-set on the Cypres label.

I caught the band at 'De Singer' last week. 'De Singer' is an excellent jazz club. Superb acts, nice people and a polite, open-minded crowd.


Fabrizio Cassol on saxophone, Michel Hatzigeorgiou on Fender Jazz bass and Stéphane Galland on drums.
Aka Moon played for a full house.

Technically amazing, and with visible pleasure, the band showed why they're a top jazz band.
Fabrizio Cassol's composions mix jazz with oriental flavours. His sax lines alternate between beautiful melodies and improvisational soundscapes.
Michel Hatzigeorgiou's bass teams up with Stéphane Galland's rolling drums to become a steady rhythm section, follows Fabrizio Cassol's sax in unison (!!), or plays some of the most impressive lines you've ever heard.
And Stéphane Galland's drums are omnipresent. It's like a drum solo from the beginning to the end. Stéphane Galland sets the train on the tracks. With a surplus of energy he pulls and pushes, solos and even accentuates the melody.

It was very impressive to see and hear how well these guys listen to each other. During the improvisations, the one who improvises leads and the other two follow.
A joy for the eye and the ear.

Five stars! And I don't even do ratings.

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