MINIMAL KIDDS
Genres: Jazz Related Improv, Composition • Germany

Although this is technically a group effort, it has the stamp of the precocious Gebhard Ullmann, who wrote and arranged all the pieces and is featured extensively on reeds and flutes. At the heart of the recording is the trio of Ullmann; Andreas Willers on guitars; and Nikolaus Schäuble on percussion, supplemented by others including Glen Moore on bass and Trilok Gurtu on percussion, and samples from a children's choir. Recorded early in Ullmann's career, the talented composer, improviser, and organizer focused his efforts on so-called world music, and the album is less radical and adventurous than his later works. He has a penchant for catchy melodies, and it is not surprising that, according to Ullmann, the attractively arranged "Escalate in 15/8," based on a lick from Charlie Parker, became a jazz disco hit in Germany. Ullmann arranges the piece boldly, as his tenor sax wails the striking melody over read more...