Friday, September 9, 2011

Flip Philipp & Klemens Marktl Constellation - Open Sea (ATS-Records 2011)


Line-Up
Flip Philipp-Vibraphon
Klemens Marktl-drums
Milan Nikolic-Bass
Andy Middleton-saxophon
Adrian Mears-trombone
Louis Ribeiro-Percussion

Listening to this album for the first time provoked a very interesting sensation
in me; I‘ve only ever heard one other band with this same instrumentation, and
it‘s Dave Holland‘s Quintet, which I‘ve been a member of for some years now. I
was fascinated to hear some other possibilities for this group of instruments, and
the more I listened the more I felt myself appreciating the distinct personalities
of these musicians, and enjoying their company. The first thing I react to from a
musician is their sound, and all these guys have great sounds.
Klemens‘s sound on the drums is subtle and focused, Flip‘s not afraid to dig
into the vibes, Milan‘s bass is strong and woody, Adrian‘s trombone sound is
warm and noble, and Andy‘s soprano sound especially leaves me a little envious!
The addition of Luis Ribeiro‘s percussion adds great flavor and some exciting
rhythmic moments. The compositions are very thoughtful and encompass a wide
range of moods, and it‘s obvious that the band spent some time really getting
to know the music and letting it grow. The tunes are challenging, but the band
plays them with a great sense of spirit and camaraderie.

Chris Potter, New York 2010

In this new journey my buddy Klemens takes his drumming and his writing
to new heights. It‘s nice to enjoy and listen to his musical growth as I listened
to this great piece of music he and his partner Flip Philipp have put together. I
am really excited at the future of music.

Gregory Hutchinson, New York 2010

Listen samples/buy @ CD Baby