Review: Wütrio - Wütrio (BBE MUSIC)

When BBE have focusing on jazz from overseas (from the UK) of late, it's been from Japan and Norway for their internationslist musical forays, but what is/who are Wütrio?

Recorded in Hamburg 1987, here's more high quality 'modern' jazz that's aborbed the 60s Brit-Jazz spirit (think vocalist Beate Kynast as a Norman Winson) and free-jazz-Latin dance.

The nine track album has been long overlooked except by Rainer Trüby, he of Compost Records, many a compilation and a huge record collection (particularly MPS label), founder of the Root Down club and member of both A Forest Mighty Black and the Trüby Trio.

Featuring Robert Schulte Hemming (Trumpet/flugehorn), Wolfgang Puschnig (sax/flute), Martin Kübert (piano/synthesizer), Rudi Engel (bass), Peter Wirth (drums/percussion), it's a post MPS German odyssey - a sort of European jazz-rock on the M-Base with a electro/hip-hop kinda in the queue along with the avante-garde - you get the idea why this was overlooked at the time of release?

Almost impossible to pick a favourite track but 'Lament' stands out as it features Beate and is a 'standard' laid-back style and the trumpet solo is so cool. In fact, any of the tracks which feature Beate singing or her wordless improvisations, like 'Scarcely Had We Left The House',  the out-there 'Rush Hour' and all the trumpet, sax and synth solos.

The diverse nature of this album is definitely a strength.  If this had come out of a New York loft, I'm sure we'd all have a copy but now's the time to redress the balance (especially as original copies are much sort after at silly high prices).  

And even better than that, much like the J-Jazz series curated by Tony Higgins and Mike Peden, this is the first in a series to redress the obscurity of Thein Records (Bremen) that Rainer Tüby is putting together - is this going to be B-Jazz or G-Jazz then?

P.S. Great cover artwork that's a bit Günther Uecker without the nails.

P.P.S. Wonder if DJs Miche and Chris Wheatley picked up anything from their recent visit to Rainer's massive 22k strong collection?  

P.P.S. Bob Hill (BBE, TWR, A.MA) was playing this out at WARM last weekend and it sounds great.

Artist : Wütrio

Title : Wütrio

Release Date : 11th November, 2022

Catalog Number : BBE717

Label : BBE Music

Format : LP / CD / Digital