HANS FAHLING QUINTET "Before Tomorrow"
EARSHOT JAZZ MAGAZINE - APRIL 1997 Before Tomorrow Hans Fahling
This dedicated, Seattle-based guitarist has wasted no time launching his professional career. For the last year, while completing his work at Cornish, he has gigged constantly with his current quintet. He has also planned tours of both the West Coast and of his native Germany. And he has put together the material for this first release of original music. It features such notable players as Julian Priester and Phil Sparks, and it pays dividends on Fahling's drive and dedication.
Amoung features that set this CD apart are heads that resonate with the sounds of cool-jazz era Miles, a fat guitar sound and improvisatory lines reminiscent of John Abercromvie, and a mysterious reverbed tone. In contrast to some contemporary jazz guitarists, Fahling never overpowers his group. Whether layering warm, echoey chords beneath the horns or running in tandem with Sparks' bass, the smooth walk of Fahling's playing meshes with the ensemble's texture.
That texture owes much to the rainy-day cymbol work of Steve Korn, the sharp horn of Matt Walsh, and Sparks' thoughtful dark groove.
While the CD's production does tend toward the softer edge, the compositions and improvisations at times seem angry, with tensions cropping up when you least expect them in arrangements fraught with questions and contemplation. In this sense, the release speaks on a couple of different levels. On first listen, I was struck by the grooves and interesting intervals of each tune's head. Yet, as with any good jazz recording, the more I listened, the more I came to appreciate the intricacies of thought behind each piece. From Fahling's modal playing to Priester's sonorous bends (on two tracks) and Rob Davis' silky explorations on tenor, each track engages.
Typical of Fahling's skill in creating interesting heads that convincingly seque into improvisatory explorations is "2 3 4 5 six". The head of the smoothly syncopating and punchily swaggering piece, while never truly resolving, satisfies by spiraling away into energetic, improvised flurries from Fahling and Davis, with an increasing intensitiy of intervals and ideas throughout.
Other tracks demonstrate Fahling's grasp of varied stylistic ideas. For example, in "Overeasy", a pulsating guitar intro throbs over the rhumba-like beats of Steve Korn, and set the perfect stage for structured melody and Fahling's dissonant/rhythmic playing. The track also features some fine interplay as Fahling's chiming guitar underlines Priester's elegant solo.
Fahling's drive, dedication, and hard work all shine through on this fine first release. In April and May, he will be taking his quintet on a West Coast tour. This summer, he heads to his native Germany with Julian Priester, with possible dates added in Italy, France, and the Netherlands.
- Daniel Fisher Earshot Jazz Magazine April 1997
