The virtuosic Danish guitarist/composer Søren Lee has a fabulous touch on his instrument, his compositions are stylistically coherent, and the sonics of his quartets is generally very pleasant to listen to. That much I kind of knew before lending my ear for Søren Lee’s latest album ‘Hope’ (released June 28th), dedicated to his late wife Eva Faye Lee. Has anything changed since I last time paid attention to Lee’s art? Not really. Admirable guitar playing and control, subtle improvisations, sensitivity to nuances, wonderful transparency and eloquence, serenity, convergence of the compositions, and overall pleasantness to the ear. If anything, maybe there’s even more of all of that this time around. This is truly matured stuff by Lee and his fine musicians (Victor Jones – Drums, Jacob Dinesen – Saxophone, Yasser Pino – Bass and Rune Harder Olesen – Percussion), which deserves and invites to be listened to more than once. In fact, every time one has a mood for hearing something that sets itself above the everyday.
The album is a collection of nine of Lee’s songs and compositions, of varying harmonics and melodies, sometimes more energetic, more often just smooth and relaxing (my favourites). From the press release:
“Featuring Lee’s take on Gershwin’s rhythm changes, the bossa nova feel of ‘Like Tears in the Rain’, the scorching uptempo swing of ‘A Few More Steps’, and the 5/4 funk groove of ‘Living Now’, the record is firmly rooted in the jazz tradition while offering modern perspectives on song forms any jazz fan will be familiar with. From virtuosic improvisations over dense contemporary harmony, to lyrical melodies in a comforting songwriter/Americana context, Lee’s effortless guitar playing comes across as an extension of his voice as it carries his band through the broad range of styles under his fingers. With the energy, excitement and interactivity of a live recording at the album’s core, the ensemble’s sound is elevated by layers of swelling electric guitar chords and delicately plucked acoustic guitar parts.”
Artist website:
