Author: alain

Our trombone hero Florian Weiss was awarded the ZKB Jazzpreis with his band Woodoism.

Congratulations from Tonejuice!

On a hot early summer day in front of a big and interested audience, we gave the last concert for this tour. A wonderful finale in Alain’s hometown Zürich.

A wondeful home game at a packed ESSE bar. This so far was the highlight in all concerns. Thanks to Tomas&Thomas from ESSE and our wonderful audience.

 

Photography: Reto Stalder

The following wonderful pictures were taken by Matthias Fellhauer, thank you very much!

After a long and exhaustive trip from Antwerp to Berlin we arrived well at this nice jazz club in Berlin Mitte and played for a very attentive audience. It’s a treat to experience the band becoming more and more locked-in every night.

Wednesday was out first day off in Berlin. No duties whatsoever.

On Sunday we drove up to Will’s hometown Leeds to play for Seven Jazz at Inkwell in front of a very friendly and attentive audience.

The same day further down in Sheffield we stepped into Def Leppard’s footsteps at Crooke’s and played a double gig with our friends from the Crescent Sextet

Well, the venue wasn’t exactly packed when we played, but we had a good time with with a nice audience and we were well taken care of by our Crescent Sextet friends.

Ad-hoc gig below sea level while crossing the eurotunnel on the way to Antwerp where we had a night off. For once, we went listening to some other very nice jazz band at Hoppers Café.

On Saturday we played at this packed formidable jazz venue in Greenwich. Every seat occupied, very nice audience. Thank you! This was a highlight.

 

After england-style foggy weather, I’m now writing in plain sunshine in Alex’s garden. Yesterday we played at the Junction in South London. This is a place I’d definitely go to often if I’d live here. Small stage, tightly packed musicians an there’s the groove. The band was burning and it was a great pleasure to play.

Our tour started at “Off The Cuff”. All musicians healthy, motivated and on time. After a refresher rehearsal yesterday, we were ready to start our tour in South London.

 

 

We got a ★ ★ ★ ★ review from UK based Jazz Journal:

Some records grab you by the ears from the first listening while others get a grip that tightens with every play. Alain Brenzikofer’s Rouge Foncé (or Deep Red) is in the latter category. His Anglo-Swiss sextet play smouldering groove-based music with beguiling modal harmonies that suggest a soundtrack to a late-night drive around a modern European city. I like it more every time I play it, as the snaky melodic hooks of the original compositions insinuate themselves, moved in and out of focus by successive soloists. Up front, Brenzikofer’s tenor sound has a mellow but mellifluous tone; but he’s the sort of leader that doesn’t mind sitting out as other soloists ease into play. Title track Rouge Foncé has the bass bumping up against the horns, the piece eventually arriving at a supper-club sound that’s warmed by Will Powell’s guitar lines. Ginger Juice is a more peppery piece featuring Weiss’s sinuous trombone and Matt Jenkins’ piano bluesing it up before handing on to Brenzikofer. A Dancer’s Life is different again, a collage of Big Easy funk, Knitting Factory nuttiness and Latin heat all pinned down by drummer Mike Roy’s strident rhythm. The clue’s in the title with Phonk Yo Phat, a gangsterish groover that recalls a Bill Laswell production, with Jenkins switching to Rhodes piano and Powell prowling the perimeter of the arrangement. Excuse me while put this disc on repeat.

Garry Booth, Jazz Journal, April 2018

Thanks for the nice review in Swiss Jazz Magazine Jazz’n’More March/April 2018