Jeff Herr (drums), Laurent Payfert (double bass) &
Maxime Bender (tenor & soprano saxophones)
(Review by Russell)
Drummer Jeff Herr’s trio recorded a third CD two years
ago in Luxembourg and released it earlier this year in the UK. The ‘Corporation’
line-up has evolved over time and Layer
Cake features bassist Laurent Payfert and saxophonist Maxime Bender. Twelve
tracks, of which five are brief sketches – ranging from fifty one seconds to
one hundred and twenty four seconds – are composed by members of the trio, the
oddity being The Man Who Sold the World.
The Funky Monkey and A-Rabi
Dub introduce the trio; a drum groove intro, tenor funk, a hint of Orient
House. These opening tracks do not signal the album’s development. Wind – all ninety six seconds of it –
quietly deflates the Luxembourg monkey’s funky balloon. Bassist Payfert’s
tenor-led Danse sucrée takes it down
further, as does the second of the sketches. David Bowie’s tune – the longest
track on the CD – is, presumably, a favourite of the Herr Corporation.
The icing on Layer
Cake is a furious free piece with Bender on soprano. Superb playing all
round, but, regrettably, one minute and five seconds is all we get. Journey to the Bliss succeeds with
mid-tempo tenor exploring Herr’s tune. The eponymous closing track is a good
example of drummer Herr’s command of his instrument; sharp, incisive, inviting
a response from Bender’s tenor and Payfert’s assured bass playing. Jeff Herr Corporation – Layer Cake is available now on Igloo
(Igloo IGL259). The trio will make a first visit to the UK in September
playing gigs in Newcastle (Jazz Café),
Tuesday 29 and at the Vortex, London the following evening.
Russell.
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