Martin Sasse Trio, Peter Bernstein - A Groovy Affair

Styles: Piano Jazz
Year: 2002
File: MP3@320K/s
Time: 65:34
Size: 152,1 MB
Art: Front

(6:43) 1. A Groovy Affair
(8:16) 2. Winter Waltz
(7:18) 3. Search For Love
(6:18) 4. Blues 4 H & H
(6:09) 5. Clear The Dex
(8:49) 6. Nightbirds
(7:07) 7. Body And Soul
(8:27) 8. There's A Small Hotel
(6:23) 9. The Modal Thing No. 2

Pianist Martin Sasse is a talented bop-based player and his trio with bassist Henning Gailing and drummer Hendrik Smock is excellent. However, on this set their guest, guitarist Peter Bernstein, consistently steals the show. Bernstein's solos on the straight-ahead material are fiery and inventive, and swing hard. Sasse contributed six of the nine numbers, several of which are based on common chord changes, including "The Modal Thing No. 2" (which is essentially "Impressions"). A medium-tempo version of "Body & Soul" is one of the many highlights on this fine modern hard bop date.By Scott Yanow
https://www.allmusic.com/album/a-groovy-affair-mw0000041587

A Groovy Affair

---

Scott Hamilton & Martin Sasse Trio - Live In Cologne

Styles: Piano And Saxophone Jazz
Year: 2023
File: MP3@320K/s
Time: 64:01
Size: 150,4 MB
Art: Front

(11:47) 1. A Beautiful Friendship
(10:43) 2. Talk to Me Baby Tell Me Lies
(14:37) 3. Poinciana
( 7:45) 4. Lady Luck
( 5:02) 5. Pure Imagination
( 7:26) 6. Summer Wind
( 6:39) 7. Sweet Georgia Brown

The American saxophonist Scott Hamilton is one of the last world stars of swing. He inherited the genre of role models and associates such as Coleman Hawkins, Lester Young and Gerry Mulligan. Martin Sasse is one of the most celebrated jazz pianists in Europe.

His trio is permanently engaged with Henning Gailing on bass and Joost van Schaik on drums. They frequently work with internationally renowned jazz musicians such as Peter Bernstein and Steve Grossman. With Hamilton they even played the most famous compositions so captivatingly that one was willing to believe being on a journey back through time into the great era of swing.
https://martinsasse.de/project/martin-sasse-trio-feat-scott-hamilton-en

Personnel: Martin Sasse — Piano; Scott Hamilton — Tenor Saxophone

Live In Cologne

---

Harry Allen & Martin Sasse - Live At Bird's Eye

Styles: Bop, Swing
Year: 2022
File: MP3@320K/s
Time: 50:33
Size: 116,1 MB
Art: Front

( 5:19) 1. When October Goes
(10:11) 2. Swing, Swing, Swing
( 5:02) 3. Tea For You
( 7:08) 4. Telling A Little Story
( 6:38) 5. Blue Skies
( 4:46) 6. Step Right Up
( 5:20) 7. There's No Place For Me
( 6:05) 8. See You At The Fair

Now, the brilliant playing of the two can be followed and enjoyed on their first joint album "Live at Bird's Eye". Together with Markus Schieferdecker and Joost van Schalk as an exquisite rhythm section, they fill the space with compositions from their own pens that are as subtly as they are complexly interpreted, but also with a clever selection of the very finest standards. What unites the four is their deep affection for the melodies of the swing era as well as the mainstream jazz of the 1950s and 1960s. Together they immerse themselves in relaxed, yet highly intense moods, sometimes rhythmically furious, sometimes in pure balladic beauty.

It is anything but a matter of course to start an album right away with an atmospheric ballad: But here it happens, and Barry Manilow's classic "When October Goes" makes an impressive statement. Nancy Wilson, Carmen McRae, Rosemary Clooney, Kevin Mahogany or Inger Maria Gundersen each interpreted Johnny Mercer's lines in their own personal way, now Harry Allen finds his very own language on the saxophone, at first almost whispered, then more and more urgent and powerful, while Sasse on the piano evokes a lyrical fantasy world of rain-soaked city streets and autumn-colored rows of trees.

No less powerful in imagery and association, the cheerfully spotted Ben Webster classic "See You at the Fair" from 1964 and the rather rarely played "Step Right Up," with which Oliver Nelson, as composer, arranger and conductor, opened the Count Basie album "Afrique" in 1971, glow. A special place is given to "Blue Skies" by Irving Berlin: The standard from the 1920s, famous thanks to singers such as Josephine Baker, Ella Fitzgerald and decades later Cassandra Wilson, rises here elegantly from broom accompanied cautiousness to cheerful, occasionally "weird" intensity. Involuntarily, one would like to sing along with the lyrics: "Blue Skies/Smiling at me/Nothing but blue skies/Do I See..."

Organically grown, the original compositions of Martin Sasse and Harry Allen fit into the album, shifting tempos, moods and atmospheres again and again in a new and sophisticated way, swinging and grooving, straight and cool, soulful and sensitive a captivating mixture of blues and swing-saturated floating matter! https://harryallen-martinsasse.bandcamp.com/album/live-at-bird-s-eye

Live At Bird's Eye

---

Martin Sasse Trio, Vincent Herring - Close Encounter

Styles: Piano Jazz
Year: 2004
File: MP3@320K/s
Time: 51:34
Size: 119,2 MB
Art: Front

(6:21)  1. Don't Let It Go
(5:23)  2. Blue Herring
(7:08)  3. Bishop's Place
(6:08)  4. Nelson's Dilemma
(4:05)  5. I Will Sing You a Lullaby
(5:14)  6. M.R.'S 12 Bars
(5:36)  7. Folklore
(5:47)  8. Over the Rainbow
(5:48)  9. Groove Machine

The wonderful thing about jazz is how over the years it has come to transcend borders both real and virtual. While some like to think of it as an American tradition, and without question it had its start on this side of the pond, the truth is there are no longer any boundaries. Musicians from as far afield as Slovenia and Tunisia practice the form in a reverentially American way, while artists in North America fuse their tradition with music from abroad. It no longer matters anymore where you are from, and that's a good thing. German pianist Martin Sasse and his trio, featuring bassist Henning Gailing and drummer Hendrik Smock, have been recording with Nagel Heyer since '01, and each album not only gets better, it demonstrates that you don't have to be an American to swing with the truth. Following up last year's Groovy Affair, where, as strong as the trio was, guest guitarist Peter Bernstein nearly stole the show, Sasse and the trio offer up Close Encounter , featuring guest Vincent Herring on alto saxophone and flute. If one didn't have the album booklet to look at, one would think this is Herring's record, which says a lot about Sasse's lack of ego and desire to get to the essence of the music. 

That's not to say Sasse and the trio don't turn in fine performances they do it's just that Herring's contribution to this mostly original set of material is so significant that it's hard to imagine the group without him. Once again the emphasis is on straight-ahead post bop, with tunes like Herring's "Don't Let It Go" swinging in a relaxed, medium tempo kind of way. Herring is clearly descended from Cannonball Adderley's style of playing, with an exuberant approach that is intelligent without being intellectual. Sasse's "Blue Herring" is a modal workout that gives Sasse a chance to show his roots in McCoy Tyner by way of Kenny Kirkland. Smock and Gailing are the perfect rhythm section as they propel both Sasse and Vincent to greater heights while remaining remarkably unobtrusive. Smock's "Nelson's Dilemma" is an ode to pop star "Prince" Rogers Nelson, rather surprisingly as there's nothing in it that brings Prince's music to mind. According to Smock, the dilemma is that of "trying to hold the balance between 'Art for art's sake' and 'Money for heaven's sake.'" There's no dilemma here, though, as Sasse turns in another strong solo that builds from a straightforward linear approach to more intense block chording. From the up-tempo bebop of Herring's "Folklore" to the tender "I Will Sing You a Lullaby," a tender minor ballad that features Herring's lyrical flute work, Close Encounter is an unassuming record that shows the American tradition alive and living comfortably far beyond its original borders. With groups like this, it becomes clear that boundaries are now nothing more than artifice, and that's a sentiment that would do well to be adopted in broader terms. ~ John Kekman https://www.allaboutjazz.com/close-encounter-martin-sasse-nagel-heyer-records-review-by-john-kelman.php

Personnel: Martin Sasse (piano), Henning Gailing (bass), Hendrik Smock (drums) with Vincent Herring (alto saxophone, flute)

Close Encounter

---

Martin Sasse Trio - European Standard Time

Bitrate: MP3@320K/s
Time: 62:05
Size: 142.1 MB
Styles: Bop, Piano jazz
Year: 2011
Art: Front

[4:56] 1. Mode Forbode
[5:24] 2. Quand Laura … Me Tend Ses Bras
[4:54] 3. More Than Ever
[6:14] 4. Ballad Pour Pipette
[5:17] 5. King Kombo
[8:21] 6. I've Got Another Rhythm
[8:59] 7. Sergio
[4:54] 8. Close Encounters
[6:03] 9. Metronome
[6:59] 10. Here Comes The Sun

Martin Sasse Trio: Martin Sasse (piano), John Goldsby (bass), Hendrik Smock (drums). rec. 7 June 2009, live at Telos Akademia, Mechernich-Floisdorf.

This live gig from the Martin Sasse Trio was recorded in June 2009 and the conceit is that the programme is all-European. In his notes Sasse modestly avoids mentioning that one of the tracks is his own Metronome, but other Euro composers include such well known names as English saxophonist Iain Bellamy and the French guitarist Serge Lazarevitch, amongst others. The nationality of each composer is proudly noted in the booklet, so fans of such things can ponder the implications of such a line-up.

The Sasse trio is an articulate, tight knit group, and its bop stylings are well deployed in this set. It's as good in the straight ahead Bellamy Mode forbode as it is in Lazarevitch's warmly lyrical chanson, Quand Laura me tend ses bras, with its echoes of Keith Jarrett in My Back Pages mode. Roman Schwaller, the Swiss saxophonist, contributes Ballad pour Pipette which, once again, calls for a degree of introspection and phrasal warmth, both of which are duly provided, not least in the reflective bass solo from John Goldsby, the American who sneaks in via German residence to contribute Sergio - complete with a long solo for himself, a vibrant Latino feel, and suitably eclectic drum breaks.

King Kombo is an appealingly swinging theme from the pen of Belgian trumpeter Bert Joris. The angular I've got another rhythm was written by another trumpeter, this time Denmark's Alan Botschinsky and it includes an opportunity for drummer Hendrik Smock to parade his wares, and so too the leader via a propulsively swinging solo, and Goldsby's arco solo. Not everything really sticks in the mind; Paul Heller's Close Encounters isn't much of an encounter at all, but Sasse's own piece is a fine example of his creativity, with possibly a hint or two of Horace Silver.

This live set was well recorded and well appreciated by the audience. It's one for trio lovers interested in unusual repertoire.

European Standard Time

---

Martin Sasse Trio & Charlie Mariano - Good Times

Bitrate: MP3@320K/s
Time: 64:51
Size: 148.5 MB
Styles: Contemporary jazz
Year: 2010
Art: Front

[ 6:34] 1. Estate
[ 6:10] 2. Yours Is My Heart Alone
[ 5:11] 3. Goodbye Pork Pie Hat
[ 4:57] 4. My Funny Valentine
[ 5:04] 5. Doxy
[ 5:59] 6. I Thought About You
[ 6:08] 7. Stella By Starlight
[ 6:16] 8. Randy
[10:33] 9. My Foolish Heart [live]
[ 7:56] 10. Good Times [live]

Bass – Henning Gailing; Drums – Hendrik Smock; Alto Saxophone – Charlie Mariano; Piano – Martin Sasse. Recording information: Kinodrom, Bocholt (03/13/2003); Topaz Studios, Köln, Germany (03/13/2003); Kinodrom, Bocholt (04/16/2006); Topaz Studios, Köln, Germany (04/16/2006).

This 2006 recording features alto saxophonist Charlie Mariano, a restless innovator who spent the last decades of his life living in Europe. 'Good Times' is his last studio recording (he died in 2009 at the great age of 85) and he is backed by the trio of pianist Martin Sasse, who is one of Germany's leading jazz musicians.

Good Times

---

Martin Sasse Trio & Steve Grossman - Take The 'D' Train

Size: 138,7 MB
Time: 59:45
File: MP3 @ 320K/s
Released: 2015
Styles: Jazz
Art: Front

01. Angelica (6:19)
02. In A Sentimental Mood (7:39)
03. Like Someone In Love (6:51)
04. New Moon (5:52)
05. Nicolette (8:21)
06. Stable Mates (6:12)
07. Take The Coltrane (5:38)
08. Take The 'D' Train (7:11)
09. Wabash (5:38)

The Cologne pianist Martin Sasse has evolved over the last 15 years the leading German mainstream pianists, what his latest recordings impressively demonstrate. Whether as a sensitive accompanist of singers or brass, as head of the piano trio or pianist in other formations - Sasse guarantees swing, emotion and high Difficulty. The saxophonist Steve Grossman has repeatedly invited in recent years as a guest star Sasse. The Americans living in Europe became known in 1970 as the successor to Wayne Shorter in Miles Davis' band internationally. Despite a series of remarkable shots of his career due to illness raised never expire as his playing skills deserve it. All the more gratifying that the tenor saxophonist shows here in good shape. His masterful ballads game impressed Ellington's "In A Sentimental Mood" as well as his composition "Nicolette" said Sasse congenially zuspielt him the musical balls. Drummer Joost van Schaik drives Benny Golson's "stablemates" skillfully ahead a little faster than usual. Grossman celebrates the catchy melody before Sasse lifts to an inspired improvisation that merges successful in bassist Henning Gailings short solo. Grossman is one of Ellington's "Take the Coltrane" rapidly and are Sasse as a template for its immensely swinging solo before Grossman himself enters a rousing improvisation river. The CD swings with Cannonball Adderley's "Wabash" to the end, again with good solos by Grossman and Sasse.
"Rollin '" is a trio recording under the direction of native Hanoverian drummer Dennis Frehse, who now lives after several years of training in USA in Japan and operates currently in the band of the Japanese saxophone legend Sadao Watanabe. This picture was taken in Tokyo. Even in this environment shows Sasse his qualities as a swinger, about when he first called "Deggen McBobben" the picks elegant Bouncing Beat by bassist Kengo Nakamura. The soulful ballads player Sasse comes in "You Taught My Heart To Sing" to light, pleasantly low-key accompanied by Nakamura and Frehse, or even in Coltrane's "Naima". The personable old fashioned swinging "Rosetta" is at the end of this successful recording. ~online translation

Take The 'D' Train    

---