Press for Night flight:
Emanuel Ruffler keeps extremely talented company on Nightflight, the first album as leader for this German-born pianist who is now based in New York. The 11 self-penned tunes are characterized by an apparent simplicity and a propulsive rhythm, creating an immediately appealing recording.
Opening tune "Cheerful" kicks off the album by being exactly what it says—it's a bright, percussion-led, tune with a Latin feel that features a confident solo from Ruffler. "Pretty" is actually extremely pretty—a delightful tune that seems destined to become a movie theme. The band eases back for this composition, enabling Ruffler's delicate piano to come to the fore over a simple theme played by the horns. Closing tune "The Metropolis" finds the bass of Nic Thys acting as the core of the tune, enabling Jackson and Bell to create some complex rhythm patterns over which the horns, minus saxophones, play with a brighter than usual sound.
Overall Nightflight is an atmospheric album. Ruffler has composed a set of tunes that have an almost cinematic quality to them and the talented musicians bring them to life admirably—based on this debut, Ruffler's future development looks highly promising.
Track Listing: Cheerful; Nightflight; Experience; Fourth Ward; Something for my Wedding; A la Joe; Cold/Warm; Inflections; Rocket; Pretty; The Metropolis.
Personnel: Emanuel Ruffler: piano; Duane Eubanks: trumpet; Michel Gentile: flugelhorn; Ulrich Wangenheim: bass clarinet; Nic Thys: bass; Gene Jackson: drums; Kahlil Kwame Bell: percussion; Vitaly Golovnev: trumpet (4,5,7,8); J D Allen: tenor sax (3,9,10); John Ellis: tenor sax (4,5,7,8); Mike Sim: tenor sax (1); Chris Higgins: bass (4,5,7,8)."
By BRUCE LINDSAY, Published: November 28, 2009
featuring:
John Ellis (ts) (4,5,7,8)
Gene Jackson (dr)
Duane Eubanks (tp) (1,2,3,6,9,10)
JD Allen (ts) (3,9,10)
Mike Sim (ts) (1)
Michel Gentile (fl)
Ulrich Wangenheim (bcl)
Vitaly Golovnev (tp) (4,5,7,8)
Kahlil Kwame Bell (perc)
Nic Thys (b) (1,2,3,6,9,10,11)
Chris Higgins (b) (4,5,7,8)
Recorded at SimSound Studios, Brooklyn, NY and at Kaleidoscope Sound, Union City, NJ