Koppel Blade Koppel - Time Again (CD)

Benjamin Koppel – alto saxophone 
Brian Blade - drums
Anders Koppel - Hammond Organ

When it all comes down to it, the music needs to swing. It needs to touch our souls as well as move our feet. And the music of this trio par excellence does exactly that. 

When Father and Son, the Koppels, two of the most prolific musicians and composers on the European scene today, join forces with master drummer Brian Blade, the holy ghost of American drumming, the result is nothing less than extraordinary. 

The music draws on inspiration from sources throughout music history, and with the classic organ trio as the frame, the three innovators take their audience on a journey, that leaves no heart untouched, and no feet still.  

Through a collaboration, that began in 2011, saxophonist Benjamin Koppel and drummer Brian Blade have been close friends both on and off stage, and their other trio, together with top bassist Scott Colley, they have released three albums through the years, that have all become milestones in the world of pianoless saxophone-bass-drums trios. They have been playing around the world, and when composer Anders Koppel wrote his biggest symphonic piece to this date, The Mulberry Street Symphony, the music was created with that specific trio in mind. This time, Koppel senior, Anders, goes back to his organ bench, from which he has created so many legendary moments in European music, both with his iconic band the Savage Rose (1969-1975), which performed at Newport Jazz festival in 1971 and shared the stage with names like Blood, Sweat and Tears and Sly & The family stone. But also his duo and jazz quartet albums with fellow keyboard master, American pianist Kenny Werner as well as contributions on album with the founding member of Weather Report, bassist Miroslav Vitous. 

Now it’s time again. It’s time to revisit the almost telepathical interplay between three minds, that reach far beyond the ordinary. Three hearts, that has the same beat. And six feet that make the floor tremble. The music on this album is not only original, it is music of the time, by the time, in time.  

It is surely TIME AGAIN.