Florian Weiss' Woodism
Inner Garden
Buy / Listen
2024 / nwog062
Line-Up:
Florian Weiss, trombone & vocals
Linus Amstad, alto saxophone
Valentin v. Fischer, double bass
Philipp Leibundgut, drums & glockenspiel
There was a time when almost every European jazz record sounded like a fundamental statement. Like a great key novel, a monumental painting, or a film epic. Those times are over, and often we settle for trivialities far too quickly. And then, completely unexpectedly, an album like "Inner Garden" by the Swiss trombonist Florian Weiss and his band Woodism comes along. Right from the first notes hummed by bassist Valentin v. Fischer in the opener "Hymn To The Here And Now," it becomes clear: this is about something fundamental. Something is being awakened here that hasn't been heard with such vehemence since the formative albums of European jazz pioneers like Albert Mangelsdorff, Krzysztof Komeda, or Giorgio Gaslini. When the bandleader's trombone then majestically drapes over the bass like morning fog, Linus Amstad's alto saxophone joins in, and Philipp Leibundgut's unobtrusive drumming grows into the hymn from below, it becomes definitively clear that great storytellers are at work here. It remains a hymn to the here and now, yet it evokes collective memories of an era that extends far beyond the lifetimes of the involved musicians and probably most listeners. This interplay of conscious decisions, subconscious attitudes, and above all, four musicians who know exactly what they want, is unique in today's jazz.
Florian Weiss and his companions play music that needs neither theoretical underpinning nor intellectual backing. It simply exists and seems as if it has been around for a thousand years, just waiting to be awakened. Every single note from the band sounds like a rock massif, made for eternity. That Weiss can create complete, rounded albums to which nothing needs to be added has been known at least since the last Woodism opus "Alternate Reality." Even when he toured with that album, new pieces flowed into the concerts, hinting at the next plot. These songs eventually merged into a new identity, demanding further compositions until they formed the shape and plot of an album. As independent as all Woodism albums are, they flow organically into each other, forming an overarching narrative defined by the homogeneous band sound. "Otherwise, I would have to ask myself with each album: where do I start," recaps the trombonist. "This way, the next one always follows naturally. With every piece I write for the band, I learn something new and get closer to the core of the matter. I ask myself with every single piece what it is all about. It's a path on which one probably never reaches the goal, but just the certainty of getting closer to that point is very fulfilling. You feel like you're moving in the right direction."
A central element in Weiss's music is the melodies. The group presents overwhelmingly beautiful, often very simple melodies that want to be sung along without any prerequisites. These are songs whose text emerges from the melodies. This impression is supported not least by the fact that the timbres of trombone and saxophone in the band sound very vocal. The bass, too, is not just a rhythm instrument but adds a sovereign bass voice to tenor and alto. Weiss recalls that as a child, he would non-verbally hum to himself, constantly inventing new melodies. This unprejudiced sense for childlike songfulness, which most adults lose sooner or later, has stayed with him, and he continuously incorporates it to the advantage of his compositions.
Other characteristic features of the music on "Inner Garden" are warmth and sound. One might almost be tempted to speak of geothermal warmth, so naturally does this feeling of organic warmth emanate from the sound of the individual instruments, but also from the overall sound of the band. Weiss adopts a maxim from Miles Davis, who once said he tried to make his fellow musicians sound their best and bring out their strengths. It is important to the trombonist to free his music from all ballast to highlight the individual peculiarities of his band, which then result in this very special sound. All four musicians let the music happen instead of trying to force anything, no matter how original. "I have learned to embrace the music and accept what everyone, including myself, can bring and offer." It could hardly be better put. Even though the compositions unmistakably bear Florian Weiss's signature, from the listening impression, any other member could also be the bandleader.
In this way, Florian Weiss succeeds in making one of his own greatest strengths audible. He keeps the effort as low as necessary to maximize the effect. He opens all gates and removes all obstacles to grant his astonished audience access to his inner garden. A garden is always a place where human longings meet their fulfillment. In this sense, Florian Weiss's inner garden is a consciously created world composed of various components, all of which together form the harmonious unity of a complete, self-contained universe.
A good record can feel, at best, like an old, faithful friend. Maybe it's a friend you haven't seen in a long time, but with whom you immediately feel as comfortable as in carefree childhood and youth days, even after years or perhaps decades. This unique feeling of unwavering security is exactly what Florian Weiss's Woodism conveys on "Inner Garden."
