In the stillness of the empty Utrecht concert hall TivoliVredenburg, the music of Kika Sprangers' quintet was born. The Nijmegen saxophonist and composer had the complex at her disposal during the lockdown. In accordance with the rules, she invited her band members individually to jam together or go through her newly written pieces. That stillness and intimacy dominate the special atmosphere on
… Mind's Eye. On her critically acclaimed earlier album Human Traits (2019), Sprangers already showed that her European jazz is primarily inspired by the human voice and emotions. Mind's Eye again sounds fragile, warm and accessible, with a leading role for singer Anna Serierse. With her wordless vocals she is, alongside Sprangers a melodic instrument, in solemn mid-tempo pieces that sometimes subtly build up to a crescendo. Beautiful how this quintet, especially as a collective, rises to great heights on the extremely atmospheric Mind's Eye. (MR)more
