BAUER, STEFAN - Voyage West (Sealed) (CD)

The music of celebrated marimba/vibe-player and composer Stefan Bauer's ensemble VOYAGE WEST is contemporary jazz beyond categories, taking the listener on a borderless journey both sonically and culturally. A journey shared between American-infused Modern Jazz and a kind of 'world music' that cannot be found on any map (Maurice Hogue, ONE MAN S JAZZ). Built around the unusual front line of voice, saxophone and the rarely-heard sound of Bauer's spectacular 5-octave marimba, his compositions contain... romantic and impressionistic elements, enriched by sharpness and formal awareness, and by magnificent sounds full of fantasy (UdoSpelleken, Rheinische Post/Germany), brought to life by an outstanding quintet of sophisticated musical improvisers.