Reinier Baas/Jonas Burgwinkel/Kit Downes – deadeye
(Dox Records DOX633. Album review by Tony Dudley-Evans)

We tend to associate the Hammond organ with the soul jazz and jazz rock of the 60s and 70s and musicians such as Jimmy Smith, Lonnie Liston Smith and Larry Young. On this album on the Dutch label Dox Kit Downes takes a different approach, with his playing on the Hammond much less dominant in the overall sound and much more integrated with the other two musicians, the Dutch guitarist Reinier Baas and German drummer Jonas Burgwinkel. The resulting album is a well-varied set of music with excellent interaction between the three musicians.

The three members of the trio contribute compositions, and it is interesting to compare them. Reinier Baas offers four compositions: the intriguing title, Mbira, in which the guitar captures the sound and rhythms of the mbira, the African thumb piano, with the gentle backing of Downes on the organ. His other compositions are quite varied: Sonatina is quite atmospheric and features a well-developed solo by Downes. wild beak is much more upbeat with a strong lead from the Hammond organ, while Dolasilla returns the treasure is a much smoother track.

Interestingly, Downes’ compositions seem to emphasize Baas’s guitar rather than the organ. The title song deadeye, which has an attractive melody and beautiful Baas work with the organ in the background. song for the sea is equally lyrical and reaches an excellent climax thanks to a fine interplay between organ, guitar and drums. Familiar is short and punchy with a playful guitar.

Jonas Burgwinkel contributes to a single composition, Stingalou, which begins with jerky drum beats and a more upbeat solo from Downes. A track, Hokus, seems to be totally improvised with exceptional interaction between the three players.

The last two pieces are by other composers; Ninna Nanna By Adulteri is by Enrico Morricone and the trio creates a soundscape with electronic accents. The foreign traveler is a 19th century folk song based on a melancholic melody.

It’s a beautiful album with a lot of variety in the material and a well integrated approach to the development of the compositions.

LINK: deadeye on Bandcamp