The Ultimate Soul & Jazz Revue (CD)

Recorded live at Betty Nansen Theatre in Copenhagen during the 2019 edition of Koppel’s Summer Jazz Festival, Ultimate Soul & Jazz Revue features Koppel, Brecker, Colley and Purdie backed by top Danish musicians in keyboardist Jacob Christoffersen, Hammond organist Dan Hemmer, percussionist Jacob Andersen and guitarist Søren Heller, an impressive newcomer on the Scandinavian music scene. Together they come out of the gate with intensity on a ferocious version of Buddy Miles’ 1970 tune “Them Changes” (famous recorded by Jimi Hendrix’s Band of Gypsys at their historic 1970 Fillmore East show in New York City). From there they expertly blend jazz and funk on a Fender Rhodes-fueled rendition of Dizzy Gillespie’s Afro-Cuban classic “Manteca” before moving on to the slyly funky “Hammond Street,” one of three Koppel originals of the set. Brecker and Koppel play tight unisons on the head here, rekindling some of the Brecker Brothers vibe, before Benjamin breaks loose for some virtuosic doubletiming over Purdie’s chugging groove. “I love to play with Randy,” said Koppel. “The first time we shared a mic was on a session with a Danish piano player, which I co-produced in New York in 1999. And since then we fortunately have had the opportunity to work quite a few times together in different settings, among them in Kenny Werner’s Quintet (with Scott and Antonio Sanchez). Randy is so easy to play with. His sound, time and inventiveness are beyond virtuoso and his generosity and curiosity as a musician ever-inspiring.”