Exploding Customer - At Tampere Jazz Happening

Jan Nygård, JazzCornerTalk

So far, I've just danced around the apartment to it, so I could not even try to deliver any kind of critical views yet. Of course, I've heard the band live around ten times since their first cd, so the quality of the music & execution comes as no surprise. So tight! Will win EC lots of new friends, I'm sure.
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Arrived home dead-tired after work, am now totally invigorated thanks to this record (alright, a few drops of Jameson, too). - Nine tunes, two from the GMC live disc ("Quoting Frippe: What's the Name of the Bass Player" and "A Broken Glass"), all Martin K originals. And all so immediate and strong, melodically & rhythmically. - "Do you dance to jazz?" Can't help dancing to this! - The music's quite derivative (Haden's Liberation Music Orchestra, Coleman-Cherry, Latin American folk tunes, klezmer) yet retains, imo, a quite unique freshness and focus. And you can really tell the guys had a good time in Tampere. This recording actually comes close to what this band is capable of live.

A perfectly balanced, democratic band, egos in check, with no musician stealing space from the other. I mean, a guy like Kjell Nordeson could cut just about anybody, yet he's just leaning back, riding his cymbals, simmering and serving the music, feeding the others - apart from a brief, rollicking solo on the closer, "Too Much Money". - And the fine recording highlights (to an almost over-powering extent sometimes) Benjamin Quigley's sturdy, efficient bass playing, so fundamental to EC's sound. Check out the beginning of the beautiful "Song For Che"-like intro to "The Crying Whip"! - Trumpeter Tomas Hallonsten? So much more confident, self-assured than on the first disc! The perfect foil to Martin Küchen's fiery sax (only alto & tenor here) playing, which, despite its free leanings, always stays within, true to, the emotions of a tune.

Mournful, joyful, uplifting music. I love it.
EC is taking SOUL JAZZ to a whole new level! And btw, can't recall when I last heard such a kick-start to an album. "Mr BP (D)" - what a scorcher!!!