CD Review: Vélo Vélo - Vélo Vélo

Featured Artist: Vélo Vélo

CD Title: Vélo Vélo

Year: 2008

Record Label: Gateway

Style: Fusion

Musicians: Peter Fuglsang (clarinet), Jakob Davidsen (piano), Jakob Munck (tuba),Stefan Pasborg (drums)

Review: This is the first CD from the Danish supergroup Velo Velo and I hope is not the last one. An homage to personalities and aspects of the cycling world, the music on this CD is unique, classy and dramatic with lots of changes in time signatures and tempos, perfect to express the different tempos in a cycling race. Velo Velo features Peter Fuglsang on clarinet, Jakob Davidsen on piano, Jakob Munck on tuba and Stefan Pasborg on drums.

The first track, "Rolf Sorensen," reminds me at times of the music from Dave Brubeck album Time Out. Sorensen was the most successful Danish bicycle racer ever and this track has an upbeat tempo like that of a cycling race. The next track is called "Foie Gras." a French dish that is basically, goose or duck fatty liver. One can almost see a fat goose walking while listening to Jakob Munck's tuba playing and Stefan Pasborg on drums. "Casertelli" is a slow track with beautiful and sad melodies, in memory of Italian cyclist Fabio Casartelli, who died in a crash during the 15th stage of the Tour de France.

Funny is not a word usually used to describe the music of a jazz group, but the tracks "Hematocrite" and "Roubaix" are funny, with kind of a cartoonish and cinematic feeling to them. Dazzling work on piano by Jakob Davidsen and on tuba by Jacob Munck. Charly Gaul was regarded as a climbing genius in the cycling world and genius is the perfect word to describe the creative music on this track. The music reflects perfectly the tough climbing stage of a cycling race.

"Silvio Martinello" starts with a wonderful clarinet playing of Peter Fuglsang followed by the melodic piano of Davidsen. The cyclist Silvio Martinello won the gold medal in the men's points race at the 1996 Summer Olympics in Atlanta. The tuba and clarinet playing on "Equipe numero six" reminds me of Vince Guaraldi music for "Peanuts." Amazing how Jakob Munck uses his tuba on this track and throughout the CD to do the work of a bass player. An entertaining and exciting debut CD.


Tracks: Rolf Sorensen, Foie Gras, Parnummersyv, Casertelli, Hematocrite, Roubaix, Charly Gaul, Silvio Martinello, Equipe numero six

Artist's Website: http://www.peterfuglsang.com/

Reviewed by: Wilbert Sostre
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