Koppel, Benjamin
Cowbell Unit, 2023, CD
Instrument: Saxophone
Issue: 29.4
Jazz Ruler Type: R&B+Jazz
Performance: 4
Sound: 3
Score: 80
O’s Notes: Composer, saxophonist Benjamin Koppel leads a septet with Thana Alexa (vocals), Uri Caine (p), Scott Colley (b), Hendrick Dam Thomsen (cello), Soren Møller (keys) and Antonio Sanchez (d). White Buses is a warm collection of thirty-three selections including sixteen testimonials about the caravan of Red Cross buses that saved ~20,000 people from the Nazi camps in the later months of WWII. The songs and narratives illustrate the things the passengers witnessed while being transported back home to Denmark, the pains of aerial bombing, and the destruction of towns along their journey. They dreamed of life back home, with meals they could eat in peace. The music parallels their courageous journey with all the associated emotions. We liked “The Planes In The Sky”, The Goodbye”, and the title track. These are just a few of many riveting stories along the passage to freedom.
Publicist: Hubtone
