Le Bang Bang is (was?) a Germany-based jazz duo consisting of Stefanie Boltz (vocals) and Sven Faller (plucked and slapped upright bass), though they made a little splash on the NY jazz scene with a few concerts. In 2017, their CD
Pure appeared on Amazon (US), which I promptly bought without audition or reading reviews, as is my wont. The album is a true collaboration, and to my ears is a big step forward from their previous release
Headbang where they covered pop songs. Here they cover mostly jazz standards, with a couple of originals thrown in, and a generous offering of sixteen songs; it is obviously a labor of love, being recorded and mixed by the bassist. The bassist brings virtuosic and sensitive accompaniment to the table, that needs accurate playback for maximum listening pleasure. The singer Stefanie Boltz is not possessed of an exotic voice, but brings brings an intense unadorned style to the songs (as opposed to a laidback cool sonic aimed at reserved elegance, or an upbeat tempo toe-tapper), with often a slower tempo than other singers, which together with the singular accompaniment creates an immersive soundworld. The CD liner notes say that the FFN on the cover is intended to convey the idea of a distraction-less direct communication of the music, which I feel the duo achieves here. Boltz has released three solo albums, and this year an album with Christian Wegscheider as the duo
Jazz Baby!
Here is a link to the album
Pure on YT, where the poster has listed cues to the individual songs. While all the songs are engaging and the performances are all splendid, the standouts for me are
Nature Boy, What's New, He Gave Me Love, You Send Me, My Old Flame and
Harlem Nocturne. Crank up your woofers and enjoy!
www.portuguesemusic.info
