Album review
Excitement From Underground
both a tribute to jazz heritage and a bold, vibrant work of artistic innovation
℗ © 1996 - 2025
By: Storm Bakker
On Friday, June 13th, 2025, jazz enthusiasts were invited to experience the long-awaited official release of Excitement From Underground — a historic session featuring Jimmy Halperin (tenor saxophone), John Engels (drums), and Thomas Winther Andersen (bass). According to the liner notes, “The bootleg circulated unofficially among musicians and jazz aficionados for decades — passed hand to hand, whispered about in corners of the jazz world, and revered for its unique approach to classic jazz standards.”
The album serves as a tribute to renowned drummer John Engels, long celebrated for his subtle mastery in both Dutch jazz circles and the international scene. Recently, Engels marked his 90th birthday and was honored as the first-ever recipient of the Lifetime Achievement Edison Award. At the time of recording, Engels, then sixty, approached his drumming with intelligent restraint, balancing propulsion with space — an aesthetic perfectly suited to the trio’s sound. His rhythmic support never overwhelms but rather illuminates, adding clarity to each phrase with a focus on classic bebop swing.
This electrifying trio recording was originally captured in 1996, in the intimate confines of Engels’ underground studio in Amsterdam, as a live session with no overdubs. It has recently been beautifully restored and remastered in high-quality audio by Markus Nordlund. As a lifelong follower, collaborator, and friend, I must say: Thomas Winther Andersen has never sounded warmer, clearer, or more full-bodied. From the opening bars, Andersen’s resonant bass anchors the ensemble with authority, embracing space, harmony, and interplay. His playing is at once composed and instinctively organic, weaving melodic depth into the harmonic fabric, and unexpectedly groovy. His connection with Engels is nothing short of remarkable.
Notably, Jimmy Halperin’s pioneering use of sound effects on his tenor saxophone adds an experimental dimension to the session, deeply shaping the group’s interaction and creating a distinctive sonic atmosphere. Known for his deep immersion in the Tristano tradition, the American tenor virtuoso bridges musical eras often seen as unbridgeable. Yet he finds ideal counterparts in Engels’ signature blend of swing and sensitivity, and in Andersen’s melodic, dynamic bass work — giving the trio an expansive, multilayered sound. Though Halperin’s phrasing and harmonic choices remain steeped in the bebop language of the 1950s, his articulation, timing, and bold use of effects bring that vocabulary vividly into the present. His saxophone becomes a vessel through which bebop’s angular logic is refracted into a contemporary, boundary-pushing voice — one that feels both timeless and urgently modern.
With this collaborative release, Andersen, Engels, and Halperin present a profound and deeply moving statement in contemporary jazz. Their innovative interpretation of the traditional jazz repertoire honors tradition while forging its own path with integrity and adventurous spirit. Though recorded nearly 30 years ago, Excitement From Underground is both a tribute to jazz heritage and a bold, vibrant work of artistic innovation. It is a significant achievement, and one that will resonate with listeners long after the final note fades.
Tracklist:
1. Sub Atomic Dominants – Jimmy Halperin
2. Le Santé d’Esprit – Jimmy Halperin
3. Softly As in a Morning Sunrise – Sigmund Romberg
4. Gazelle – Jimmy Halperin
5. My Care – Thomas Winther Andersen
6. An Od Eel – Jimmy Halperin
7. East Thirty-Second – Lennie Tristano
Recorded: John’s Home Underground Studio, October 1996
Sound Engineer: Peter Bjørnild
Remastering April 2025: Markus Nordlund