They just want to play – At the 35th Theaterhaus Jazz Days, one of the best trombonists on the European jazz scene forgoes technical frills.
Nils Wogram and his Root 70 don’t need any. A classic jazz quartet without a harmony instrument – what a treat! Nils Wogram (trombone), Hayden Chisholm (alto saxophone), Matt Penman (double bass), and Jochen Rückert (drums) can do without it due to their quality; apart from the small melodica phrases that Wogram occasionally sprinkled in this evening.
At a late hour – Markus Stockhausen and his group had just left the stage in the T2 – Root 70 returned to the roots of jazz.
The clarity of a Gerry Mulligan or Albert Mangelsdorff with a very transparent and light acoustic sound makes the musicians sound like cool sounds associated with the American West Coast.
An organic band sound, unique solos, and a deep respect for the jazz tradition with a very personal touch: these are the qualities and characteristics of trombonist Nils Wogram’s Root 70 quartet.
Even if the performance demands a lot of patience on this Monday evening, the quality of the band compensates for this, making you forget the inconvenience and preventing boredom.
Beautiful arrangements and fine dynamics
Beautiful arrangements, fine dynamics, and plenty of creative unison licks—both in one and two parts—captivate the audience and make them sit up and take notice.
Chrisholm sometimes plays his instrument so smoothly and delicately that one could describe it as “suitable for an apartment building.”
But of course, that’s not all; the wind duo races through the scales with extreme precision, providing the necessary spice to refine the jazz menu. Wogram’s ingredients include polyphonic trombone playing like few others can. His breathtaking “dirty play” singing and grunting voice create a unique blend with the pure trombone tones.
In addition to creating a laid-back atmosphere, the quartet can also sound like a big band at times. Pure joy of playing! Who misses guitar, piano, and the like?
Overall, a well-rounded and stimulating performance, which, however, would have deserved to have been scheduled for a bit longer than 10 p.m.
Nevertheless, the gentlemen couldn’t resist playing a late encore. The second encore was: “Now everyone can go to bed.”
Nils Wogram (tb)
Hayden Chisholm (as)
Matt Penman (b)
Jochen Rückert (dr)
