Daniel Masuch - At the Edge of the World (2020)

The pianist and university professor Daniel Masuch, who was born in Hamm and trained in both Hamburg and Arnhem, met the Recklinghausen bassist Stefan Werni, who not only worked with the bebop vocalist Sheila Jordan, but also for the project “Am Rande der Welt” with the clarinetist Eckhardt Koltermann, the saxophonist Charlie Mariano and the pianist Simon Nabatov. Both are accomplished musicians who are at home in the fields of jazz, improvised and electro-acoustic music.

For their album they not only recorded compositions by Daniel Masuch such as “Aperçu de l'amour” and “Daphne's Dream”, but also “And I love her (Lennon / McCartney),“ En la Orilla del Mundo ”(Martin Rojas) - one or the other may know the recording by Charlie Haden -, "Liberetto (Lars Danielsson) and" My Love and I "(Raksin-Mercer).

Right at the beginning, a musical breath of spring wafts around us when the two musicians sing “My Love and I”. Lyrical lines determine the musical dialogue. Here, contemplative swirls of sound can be made out, which thanks to Daniel Masuch gradually pour out into the listening room, while Stefan Werni is autumnally grounded. "Liberetto" was penned by the Swedish bass player Lars Danielsson and follows the opening piece in a very fitting manner. To put it graphically, spring aromas are mixed with autumnal noises of color. The focus is on the euphoria of the melody and invites you to daydream. With “Cinema Paradiso” the two musical actors bow to a great man of the 20th century film music: Ennio Morricone. By the way, this Italian film about the history of cinema in a Sicilian village won an Oscar in 1990. Even without the orchestration of the original soundtrack, the music is fascinating and implements the nostalgic retrospective on the movie very well, limiting itself to the core of the musical lines.

The composition by Daniel Masuch called "Aperçu de l'amour" seems epic and a little worn. Connections to the compositions of the double bass player Lars Danielsson can certainly be heard. The piece has been shaped with many accents and no rippling sound sequences. “En la Orilla del Mundo” promises deep relaxation thanks to the linear sound drawings implemented by the duo. That the choice fell on “And I love her” may have been a coincidence, because the Beatles' work is very extensive and similar to the selected song, “Yesterday”, “Norwegian Wood”, “Blackbird”, “All My Loving ”or“ When I'm Sixty Four ”offered to be included in the current album. What they all have in common is a light note and a certain liveliness. Dark thoughts certainly do not come up with this piece any more than with any of the other previously heard pieces.

Colorful daydreams, probably even forgotten daydreams, were captured by Daniel Masuch in “Daphne's dream”. If you were to design a painting to go with the music, you would have to paint moving sheep clouds and a meadow with colorful wildflowers. This piece is the first in which Stefan Werni imposes himself with a solo that can be described as distinct and Daniel Masuch acts in the background.

Daniel Masuch is almost exuberant and light-footed in his composition “For a long time”. The crowning conclusion of the album is the piece "Reflections on Bach", beyond the Bach fugue and partly sacred. If one did not know the title of the piece, one could also think of jazzy romantic and neo-romantic tunes while listening.