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Travis Sullivan's Bjorkestra

Travis Sullivan's Bjorkestra

Enjoy!

(Koch)

If, like this writer, you are not a Bjork fan and you don't know where you stand on 'new big-band' jazz, still, do not walk away from this album. You would be denying yourself quite a listen - much of this album is captivating.

New York-based tenor sax maestro Travis Sullivan's only previous release was the more modern jazz-oriented As We Speak. With his collective Travis Sullivan's Project One, he has adapted 10 of the Icelandic singer's songs.

Why he assumed that the easily distinguishable, mostly ballad sounds of the quirky pop star, who recently played in Hong Kong, would lend themselves to jazzy interpretations is unclear.

But, as soon as you hear the first bars of opener Hyperballad, the smouldering late-night bar drama, punctuated by skiffling drum and cool horn section, you'll be hooked.

Alongside 17 great session musicians, Sullivan also recruited Becca Stevens on vocals, who sounds unmistakably Bjork-like but her great range, thankfully, deviates at times, taking the mind off the question of how lifelike her imitation is.

Sullivan's sax often stands in for vocal, though, most impressively on Alarm Call, which builds up to endless feel-good crescendos. Everything is held together with real and electronic percussion.

Most tracks are long and meandering but interest rarely wanes - most epic is the sometimes anarchic Army of Me, with its chaotic horns and wah-wah guitar interludes, clocking in at around 10 minutes.

A staggering work of rare beauty.

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