Peter Fuglsang - File Under Purple

Stunt 07032

Bass clarinet-led quartets aren’t a common occurrence in jazz. That scarcity gives Dane Peter Fuglsang an intrinsic edge, but it’s one he largely squanders on this album. The sleeve art to the disc features action shots of Fuglsang serenading a filing cabinet- reason enough right there for him to fire his graphic designer. The purple presumably comes into play in his preference for generic bottles for his musical wine. Sadly, it’s an aural beverage more akin to the house red than a finely aged Merlot. The calcified bop canticle “Cherokee” finds him eschewing Dolphy precedence for an approach more in line with by-the-numbers Gerry Mulligan, his lines flowing in smooth legato spouts that stick to the safety of the instrument’s middle register. Problems arise with the rhythm section as well, with bassist Kaspar Vadsholt too prominent in the mix and drummer Jeppe Gram often too distant. The title piece grafts light tango syncopations to an otherwise plodding melodic progression and Fuglsang sounds half asleep in his solemn saunter through a solo. “Don’t Run” echoes the energy-sapping directive of its title, unfolding at another somnambulistic pace. A pretty statement from Henrik Gunde provides one of the few points of interest in an otherwise vanilla peregrination.

There’s more bite and bounce to “Blues for a Low Clarinet” with Fuglsang being a bit more adventurous with his pitch choices and even engaging Gram in a spate of assertive breaks, but “Horatios [sic] Monolog” scales things back to a position of quiet prudence. Strayhorn’s “Raincheck” and “Monk’s Mood” offer other examples of Fuglsang mining the canon. Both pleasant, neither rendering leaves much of a memorable impression, though the playful quote from the Simpsons theme interpolated into the former earns a couple points for audacity, and Gunde’s switch to celeste along with the addition of guest guitarist Per Gade varies the playing field on the latter. Schubert’s melancholy tone poem “Der Leiermann” proves a stimulating fit for the leader’s calmative sensibilities while the closing “Shafi Hadi” honors its source, the players shaking off doldrums and mixing a heady blend of blues and mystery. Fuglsang is a competent improviser and an equitable leader, but considering what’s possible on his instrument, this can’t help but feel like a lesser effort.

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~ Derek Taylor