Berlin-based Swedish saxophonist Otis Sandsjö returns with Y-OTIS 2, the eagerly-awaited sequel to Y-OTIS.
On Y-OTIS 2, released by We Jazz Records on July 24, Otis Sandsjö and his close associate, bassist/producer Petter Eldh (of Koma Saxo), deepen their vision of genre-bending, forward-looking "liquid jazz" of tomorrow. The core group also includes Dan Nicholls on keys and Tilo Weber on drums, and also featured on the album are Swedish jazz greats Jonas Kullhammar (of Koma Saxo) and Per "Texas" Johansson, cellist Lucy Railton and trumpeter Ruhi-Deniz Erdogan.
Diving deeper into Y-OTIS 2, the listener will find details and ideas galore. The album is an inviting and inspiring audio mosaic, which links back into the previous Sandsjö/Eldh collaborations, namely Y-OTIS and Koma Saxo. The result is a balanced album which quenches your thirst while making you more thirsty in the process. In other words, the many micro moods and sonic levels herein invite repeated listening, while the underlying rhythmic approach is informed as much by hip hop and electronica as by jazz, making the music approachable in a very natural way.
It seems unnecessary to pull the album apart by name-checking individual tracks but just for the sake of easy introduction, the single cuts tremendoce, ity bity and abysmal offer one idea of signposts along which to navigate. tremendoce brings in Swedish jazz great Jonas Kullhammar (of Koma Saxo) and Per "Texas" Johansson, introducing an infectious flute loop integrating into the Y-OTIS sound, making it organic to the bone. ity bity could be built on a new wave synth sample (but it's not) and abysmal brings more serene, even ambient-sounding sonic pathways onto the map. It all belongs together, and makes for a sound that is instantly recognisable and constantly fresh. This is "Mauerpark liquid jazz" for the new decade.
Listen to the single abysmal in the following streaming services: http://kud.li/wjdl42
Track list
1. waldo
2. tremendoce
3. oisters
4. abysmal
5. koppom
6. ity bity
7. sapiens
8. bobby
9. fruehling
10. atombahn
Otis Sandsjö: Y-OTIS 2
We Jazz Records LP/CD/digi
Release date 24.7.2020
Composed by Otis Sandsjö & Petter Eldh
Produced by Petter Eldh
Co-produced by Otis Sandsjö
Executive producer Matti Nives
Otis Sandsjö, tenor saxophone & clarinet / Petter Eldh, bass & synthesizers / Dan Nicholls, keyboards & synthesizers / Tilo Weber, drums // Featuring: Per "Texas" Johansson, flute / Jonas Kullhammar, flute / Lucy Railton, cello / Ruhi-Deniz Erdogan, trumpet
Recorded by Martin Ruch at Control Room Berlin, 1-3 December 2019
Flutes recorded by Petter Eldh at Studio Moserobie, Stockholm, 10th February 2020
Additional recordings by Petter Eldh at Galatea Studios, Berlin
Additional Synthesizer recordings by Dan Nicholls at Cozmos, London
Mixed by Martin Ruch at Control Room Berlin
Mastered by Martin Ruch at Control Room Berlin
Design by Matti Nives
http://wejazzrecords.bandcamp.com/album/y-otis-2
http://facebook.com/yotismusic
http://instagram.com/lacdesable