| One of the great things about this year's Vision Fest is that it featured a number of Europe's best musicians (Paul Rutherford, Klaas Hekman & Torsten Muller), as well as a great and under-recognized trio called Day & Taxi. This trio is led by soprano & alto saxist, Christoph Gallio with an evolving rhythm team. They've been around since the early nineties and have some half dozen discs so far. The line-up for the Vision Fest included Christian Weber on bass and Michael Griener on drums, although drummer Marco Kappeli can be found on this disc that was recorded in 2004 and released this year. 'Out' features some twenty tracks, all but two under 5-minutes, a bunch under one minute. Christoph writes these odd tunes that have unpredictable rhythmic twists and turns. What I dig about this music is that it is always interesting and unpredictable, yet is never very far out. It is as if Christoph has these little ideas or fragments that need no development, since they are still engaging in more subtle ways. I am often reminded of Steve Lacy's trio and the way they dissected and shined on Monk songs. I also dig the way Christoph sputters and bends notes on his sax without the harsh sonorities that often make most folks feel uncomfortable. In concert, he does some silly dancing around and makes some funny faces, adding some humorous spice to his charming blend creative playing. Some of that infectious spirit is also apparent when you hear this music on its own.
Recorded at Radiostudio Zürich, 2004 June 26 & 27 by Ron Kurz |