‘Alien court music’, is how the Kaja Draksler’s compositions are being described for Bare Unfolding, her third album by her octet. Haiku by Japanese poet Matsuo Basho formed the point of departure for the interwoven vocals of vocalists Laura Polence and Björk Níelsdóttir. The meditative character of the poetry is mirrored by the hallucinatory pulse of Onno Govaert’s percussion and the whispering shakuhachi of Ab Baars. Tenor sax, clarinet, violin and double bass provide contrast, with elements taken from avant-jazz and modern classical music.

On their two acclaimed previous albums, Gledalec and Out For Stars, the Kaja Draksler Octet already drew from the poetry of Pablo Neruda, Gregor Strniša and Robert Frost. Slovenian pianist Kaja Draksler has strong ties with Amsterdam, where she founded her octet. Draksler combines composition and improvisation, drawing from a variety of styles, places and historical periods, here inspired by the large array of possibilities and talents of the ensemble, as well as her background in classical music and jazz and her deep interest in free improvisation.

Laura Polence vocals, Björk Níelsdóttir vocals, Ada Rave tenor sax/clarinet, Ab Baars tenor sax/clarinet/shakuhachi, George Dumitriu violin/viola, Kaja Draksler piano, Lennart Heyndels double bass, Onno Govaert drums/percussion