These two live reviews also preview the forthcoming release of albums on the BMC label.
In its 10 years of existence, Velvet Revolution, with its unusual line up of saxophone (Daniel Erdmann, the initiator), vibes (Jim Hart), violin (Theo Ceccaldi), has created a buzz around the jazz world, not least including in UK Jazz News. So it was great to have a chance to hear them preview the material of their fourth album at the superb Opus Jazz Club in Budapest, having just finished recording there. The BMC label has been loyal to the band since their first album won the German jazz record of the year in 2017, and has been rewarded with three lovely albums. It’s fascinating to hear how the three blend together and make the whole concept work.
It could be called “chamber jazz”, as we have three instruments, which have very similar ranges, though of course very different timbres, while no rhythm section as such, meaning a lot of contrapuntal interaction. They seem to enjoy the flexibility that they can vary who is, say, playing the ‘bass line’ and who is leading melodically. It gives a strong dynamic and prevents them from getting too introverted.
For this new recording, they are branching out quite dramatically – material recorded by, or taking influence from, Velvet Underground. The concept had started quite ironically, because of the number of times their name got confused with the cult 60s band. However, once Erdmann had looked more deeply at Velvet Underground’s material, he realised that it was something that could work! So they invited Jelena Kuljić to join in for some tunes by the band and some, with lyrics by Kuljić, inspired by Velvet Underground. Kuljić has the right credentials, as she is both an excellent singer (such as with the band Kuu!) and actress. Particularly potent were indeed some of the Velvet Underground songs. The vocalist acts as a spine for the rest of the band to improvise around.
Intriguingly, on the wall in the club, there’s a quote from Lou Reed, one of Velvet Underground’s founders. “Three chords and you have jazz.” When I asked Jim Hart about the music, he replied that indeed there were three chords behind many of the band’s tunes. So accordingly, Lou Reed was right that many of his songs can be thought of as jazz!
The songs by Velvet Underground were effectively stripped back and reconstructed taking advantage of the sound of the trio. So there are songs such as “All Tomorrow’s Parties”, which seemed like a folk song, or “Sunday Morning Brings The Dawn” where the melody was taken across the band members. These were interspersed with some original tunes for the band alone or with lyrics by Kuljić, clearly influenced by Nico and Lou Reed.
Velvet Underground started as a cult band, whose music has gone way beyond. Perhaps the recording, to appear in Spring 2026, will do the same Velvet Revolution and raise their status accordingly?
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Following them, a couple of nights later, I heard the new quartet, Garden of Silences, of violinist Clément Janinet, with Robert Lucaciu on bass, Ambre Vuilllermoz on accordion and Arve Henriksen on trumpet, electronics and even singing. The choice of line up had been influenced by Dave Douglas’s Sounds Of the Night Sky. though the balance of music and performance was very different.
Whereas Velvet Revolution had performed just after three days in the studio, this band’s gig was just before recording over the following days. It was indeed the band’s first live performance, though there are plans for extensive touring from late in 2025, especially in France and Switzerland. I had been looking forward to this gig, having enjoyed Janinet’s trio Litanie des Cimes a couple of years ago in Bolzano. Equally stripped down and intricate, with just violin, cello and clarinet, but texturally very different. And I wasn’t disappointed.
Janinet trawled across the centuries for the music. Starting with pieces based on originals by Buxtehude and Marin Marais, Janinet also played a couple of tunes on the Swedish nyckelharpa, a type of folk violin. I was particularly struck by the emergence of intricate counterpoint and that the bowed bass was used to an extent rare for this music.
All the musicians had their moments of soloing, particularly in the introductions leading into the pieces, and similarly there were some very effective duos and trios. Janinet is very generous in the space that all four of them have in the music.
Sonically it could get quite startling. Especially with some textures that Henriksen gets on his trumpet. Generally It seemed a lot like baroque improv. There weren’t many faster pieces, except on rare occasions near the ends of sets, and sometimes seemed quite eerie, especially with the occasional trumpet obbligato or bowed bass line. The album will also be released in Spring 2026, and will certainly be worth checking out, as will be the live shows,
