Saxkartel - The Chromatic Gardener (2020)

SAXKARTEL has always had a special place in the Belgian jazz music landscape. It is a band that grooves without a rhythm section, which is no contradiction. SAXKARTEL is the brainchild of Belgian saxophonist and composer Tom Van Dyck. The composition of the band is quite unique, with four members of the saxophone family (soprano, alto, tenor and baritone). Today, Tom takes the quartet a step further by taking paths where organized atonality and asymmetrical grooves are an important part of the repertoire. The music has a strong compositional basis and at the same time leaves a lot of room for improvisation.

As we said, the band plays without a rhythm section. Although the classic support of a rhythm section is not present, the band manages to create a wide range of colors, atmospheres and grooves without having to make too many compromises. The project has an interesting past with the collaboration of saxophone clappers such as Robin Verheyen, Frank Vaganée and Kurt Van Herck, and already has two albums under the arm.

After a long hibernation, the band started in 2019 with a new line-up: Matthias Van den Brande (soprano), Thomas Jillings (alto), Bart Borremans (tenor), Tom Van Dyck (baritone) as well as with a completely new repertoire. After all personnel changes, the quartet is worth a (re) discovery.

In an interview with Tom we read that the interest in an instrumental quartet without a rhythm section arose at an early age. When he was taken to North Sea Jazz at the age of fifteen, he met the 29th Street Saxophone Quartet. What struck him then was that the saxophone apparently could offer other qualities than purely melodic ones. He was fascinated by the rhythmic aspect of the quartet. Later belonged to Béla Bartók's string quartet in which he was again touched by the same rhythmic independence. The absence of a rhythm section was completely absorbed by the string quartet.

He found similarities between the expressiveness of the string quartet and the expressive playing methods that are possible on the saxophone. He also got to know Oene Van Geel (NL) who had his own string quartet. Through him he learned to play rhythmically tightly together in irregular time signatures without the need for support from a rhythm section.

Based on the foregoing, you now more or less know which music you can expect from Saxkartel. Yet you are regularly faced with pleasant surprises. You can place their music nicely between that of a classical quartet and an acoustic jazz quartet. The musicians play both as a group or as a functional soloist, where they can count on the rhythmic support of the other wind section. The quartet manages to present the written works beautifully as a uniform whole and form a beautiful blend, while at other times the rhythmic individuality impresses. You can clearly hear the previously mentioned influences that form the basis of Tom's compositions.

The album consists of nine songs, each with a different interpretation. This can range from atonality, irregular time signatures, groove-oriented division to a more chamber music-oriented interpretation. Each musician is also given sufficient space to make a solo contribution.

At the very least, The Chromatic Gardener is a beautiful awakening after a long absence. The album has a lot to tell, offers a lot of variation, is impressive in terms of sound, intonation, blend, rhythm and interplay and also manages to navigate nicely between a classic and a looser jazz approach.