Corkestra

This major project from Amsterdam is further testament to the Festival’s commitment to showcasing the rich and adventurous European jazz and improvised music scene, particularly that from Holland. Dutch music chronicler Kevin Whitehead: “Corkestra’s sound is vintage Cor Fuhler: tuneful, lively, colorful, humorous and a little bit off-centre…distinctive as a fingerprint. Still, in some ways, Corkestra’s singular music does recall the medium-size bands composer Sun Ra led over the years.” Pianist/composer Cor Fuhler is involved in numerous projects, none more exciting than his nonet called Corkestra. Here he’s assembled a richly textured ensemble of open-eared musicians from across a variety of genres to perform intricate improvised music that also swings hard and isn’t afraid to show its affection for Monk, Ellington, and Stravinsky, as filtered through Misha Mengelberg. In a review of the band’s self-titled album on Data Records, Michael Rosenstein notes, “With dizzying variety, spectacular group interplay, and writing that astounds from start to finish, this one is a winner and has rocketed to the top of my reco... more...