Jan Klare - alto eager - young u (Umland Records, 2022)

By Ron Coulter

alto eager - young u is the June 20, 2022 release from German saxophonist and composer, Jan Klare. Here, Klare plays alto saxophone and bassoon on this wonderfully eclectic album of duets, with collaborators: Florian Walter (alto saxophone and contra-bass clarinet), Joao Mendes de Sousa (drums, tanbura sample, Electribe S drum patterns), and Elisabeth Coudoux (cello). These players all perform with a high level of improvisational acumen and clear sense of purpose in duo with Klare.

The variety from track to track on this album is refreshing and compelling, from bubbly acoustic alto saxophone duets to low bassoon and contra-bass clarinet rumblings to loopy drum set and alto saxophone improvisations with a compositional sensibility to noisy and rich duets with alto saxophone and cello to whacky “duets” between Klare on alto saxophone and Korg Electribe S (ES-1) drum tracks.

alto eager - young u presents a broad aesthetic from Klare, serious/playful, groove/free, composition/improvisation; overall, an anything-goes-approach that is skillfully crafted and executed.

This is a lengthy album in a time when the trend often appears to be a “less is more” approach for an album’s duration. alto eager - young u clocks in at 577 minutes of music! That is two hours, four minutes, and 3 seconds, with the shortest track at 1’00” and the longest at 32’45”.

The music is nicely recorded, mixed, and mastered with excellent audio quality. The album is available as digital download and as a Compact Disc that is visually attention grabbing. Listeners will be engaged and wondering what the next track will bring; this is a fun listen!