FLIP PHILIPP
Muse (2morrow Music)
Reviewed by Shaun Dale

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Friedrich Philipp-Pesendorfer may be a perfect handle for his "day job" as a percussionist with the Vienna Symphony Orchestra and the Vienna Art Ensemble, but it's a bit of a mouthful for a jazz vibraphonist, hence we have Flip Philipp, a rising star on the European jazz scene whose latest release, Muse, provides ample evidence that he deserves greater attention on the other side of the Atlantic as well.

Philipp is an inventive and tasteful player, and an impressive composer. Something of a prodigy, he's been with the Vienna symphony since he was 21 and has studied both classical and jazz music at some of the finest institutions in Europe. He's taken good advantage of his education and experience, but he hasn't fallen into the trap of taking too academic an approach to his music. While much European jazz displays a marked need to get funked up a bit, Philipp demonstrates both soul and swing in his approach.

Philipp's main quartet includes trumpeter Lorenz Raab, another talent who deserves wider attention, and his colleagues from the Vienna Art Ensemble, bassist Georg Breinschmid and drummer Christian Salfellner. Frankly, they provide a much better jazz rhythm section than I might have guessed a European symphony could provide. Guest appearances are made by saxophonist Michi Erian, bassist Stefan Thaler and drummer Ulli Pesendorfer.

This is a solid outing, music with a breezy, swinging feel that's delivered from a vantage point outside the typical jazz box, but rooted deeply in the jazz tradition. It may require a bit of a search to find it, but there's treasure at the end of the hunt.

Track List:

The Muffler * Codes * Blues Five * Invitation * Pyjama * Blasmusik * Codes Outro * Muse * Empty Pockets * Randomizer Outro * Flip's Train (Take The A Train * The Muffler Outro

[Pick this up at www.flip-philipp.com.]

© 2003 - Shaun Dale