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I’ve said it before, and I’ll say it again. I love it when great music finds me. It wasn’t long ago that I published an interview with Jasper Høiby regarding his band Phronesis. It turns out Høiby plays bass in another band that goes by Kairos 4tet (not to be confused with the California based Kairos Quartet). Kairos 4tet is led by a saxophonist, Adam Waldmann, which is a bit of a divergence from most of my modern jazz collection. I’ve been in a bit of a rut of finding only jazz trios consisting of keys, bass, and drums. This, along with the connection to Høiby, was enough to entice me.
Kairos 4tet is more mellow than my other jazz reviews. It’s a little hard to tell if it’s the music itself, or simply the fact that it has a sax in it. While I hate to say it, this simple addition makes the music much smoother. I hate that because there is a general connotation of smooth jazz, which I think is an inappropriate comparison to Kairos 4tet. Simply put, if you enjoy Avishai Cohen, Phronesis, or Esbjörn Svensson, you’ll enjoy Kairos 4tet. Waldmann’s sax is engaging and brings a unique identity the band. For the most part, this band is instrumental, which is exactly how I like my jazz (just a personal preference). However, the third track on Kairos Moment (2009) has a refreshing addition of vocals by Emilia Martennson. Her vocals aren’t just an addition, it’s a contribution and coordination. Her vocals work with the music just as any of the other instruments work with the band as a whole. It’s beautifully orchestrated.
As I said earlier, Kairos Moment is in general more mellow than much of the rest of my modern jazz collection. But that’s not to say some of the tracks don’t have some heightened energy to them. In fact, the album starts out with some building and suspenseful energy. This track, V.C., gives a great introduction to each member of the quartet… allowing each member to shine. The next two tracks mellow out a little, but the album picks up some more energy once again for Russell’s Resurgence. The album continues in that fashion, giving multiple peaks throughout the album allowing for a diverse and moving experience. Kairos Moment is certainly a very complete album in that each track flows, and no track track sticks out more than it should. Although, Enough is Enough (Hotpocket) does stick in my mind a little more than others because of its exquisite use of syncopation. It’s almost as if the bass and sax are tag teaming the keys. Sometimes the keys sync with the bass, sometimes the sax, and sometimes both despite playing different riffs. Kairos Moment is a very strong debut album with enticing melodies and excellent use of dynamics. Be sure to check out both Adam Waldmann’s website and the band’s MySpace page to check out some full length tracks. You can also purchase this album directly through Adam Waldmann’s site.
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