Es gab Steve Lacy, und doch ist das Sopransaxophon im modernen Jazz Exot oder Nebeninstrument geblieben. Hört man diese sensationelle zweite CD des Schweizers Jürg Wickihalder, fragt man sich, warum das so ist. Das bringt den Zug der amerikanischen Jazzoktoberrevolution der 60er ins Jetzt, auf dass in der Postmoderne die Post abgehe. Das hat tänzerische Intensität, die einst auch Lacy bei allem Intellekt nicht vergessen hat, nimmt Monk als Startrampe, hat Ecken und Kanten und einen unglaublichen Drive mit seiner Doppelspitze Sax/Bassklarinette vor Bass und Drams.
Ulrich Steinmetzger, Leipziger volkszeitung, 28. November, 2008

uka. Schwäbische Zeitung, 28. November 2008

… sehr spannend ist das Overseas Jazz Quartet des Sopran- und Altaxofonisten Jürg Wickihalder. Während er sich auf der im Duo mit dem Pianisten Chris Wiesendanger eingespielten Aufnahme «A Feeling For Someone» vornehmlich von seiner nachdenklichen Seite zeigt, legt Wickihalder nun mit «Furioso» eine Scheibe vor, die ihrem Titel wahrlich gerecht wird. Mit dem brillanten Bassklarinettisten Achille Succi, der gelegentlich zum Altsax greift, und den von keines Gedankens Blässe angekränkelten Swing- und Groove-Brüdern Mark und Kevin Zubek an Bass und Schlagzeug saust und braust Wickihalder durch ein selber komponiertes Repertoire, das von zwei Monk-Bearbeitungen garniert wird. Diese über weite Strecken übermütige Musik vereint volksmusikantische Ungeschliffenheit, burlesken Humor und improvisatorische Souplesse auf absolut mitreissende Weise.
Tom Gsteiger, aus Vorschau zum Unerhört-Festival, MZ, 25. Nov. 2008

Kreatives Feuer
Kulturscheune: Das Jürg Wickihalder Overseas Quartet überzeugte mit seinen abwechslungsreich ausgestalteten Kompositionen und Improvisationen.
«Furioso» hat das Jürg Wickihalder Overseas Quartet seine neuste CD getauft, die die Band mit einem stimmigen Konzert in der Kulturscheune Liestal präsentierte. Und in der Tat gab es da immer wieder Momente, die das Prädikat furioso absolut verdienten wie beispielsweise das Stück «Square» mit seinem eigenwilligen Thema und seiner deftigen Begleitung durch die Rhythmussektion oder der Titel «Warm up Party» mit seinem treibenden, an den Swing der 30er- und 40er-Jahre erinnernden Drive, der allerdings durch die relativ freie Themengestaltung erfrischend kontrastiert wurde. Neben Tangoklängen glaubte man gelegentlich sogar Anleihen bei der heimatlichen Volksmusik zu hören und dass die Band neben einem Stück des stilbildenden Altsaxophonisten Ornett Coleman auch eine Hommage an den wirkungsmächtigen Sopransaxophonisten Steve Lazy spielte, konnte nicht überraschen, war doch der musikalische Einfluss dieser Jazzgrössen auf die Musik des Quartetts unüberhörbar.
Nicht ganz Unschuldig am speziellen Sound des Overseas Quartet dürfte die unkonventionelle Besetzung der Band mit zwei Blasinstrumenten, Kontrabass und Schlagzeug gewesen sein. Ähnlich wie Gerry Mulligan in den 50ern verzichtet das Quartett auf ein Harmonieinstrument wie Piano oder Gitarre, was es den beiden Bläsern Jürg Wickihalder am Sopran- und Altsaxophon und dem Italiener Achille Succi am Altsaxophon und der Bassklarinette ermöglichte, ihre Soli melodisch und harmonisch freier auszugestalten. Zeichneten sich die Improvisationen von Achille Succi vorwiegend durch technische Raffinesse aus, überzeugte Jürg Wickihalter in seinen Soli vor allem durch seinen verblüffenden Reichtum an rhythmisch clever durchgestalteten Riffs und Sequenzen, die er gelegentlich auf geistreiche Weise mit schrägen Mehrklängen oder skurrilen Anblastechniken aufbrach._
Für die Rhythmusgruppe des Quartetts waren zwei Brüder zuständig: der aus New York stammenden Kevin Zubek an den Drums, dessen Spiel sich durch eine erstaunliche Anpassungsfähigkeit an die verspielten Kompositionen von Jürg Wickihalder auszeichnete, sowie der mit zupackendem Ton agierende Kanadier Mark Zubek am Bass, der sich über ein schepperndes Megaphon auch noch als wundervoll durchgeknallter Sänger erwies, bei dem sogar ein Tom Waits eine Scheibe hätte abschneiden können.
Rolf de Marchi, Basellandschaftliche Zeitung, 2. Dezember 2008

Ton & Esprit von Steve Lacy (1934-2004) hallen nicht nur, wie ich meine, bei Christoph Gallio wider, sondern noch direkter bei einem weiteren Züricher, JÜRG WICKIHALDER. Nachdem der 35-jährige Soprano- & Altosaxophonist seine Inspiriertheit durch den verehrten Lehrmeister bereits im Duo mit dem Pianisten Chris Wiesendanger bekannt hat (auf Intakt als A Feeling for Someone zu hören), feiert er diese Erbschaft nun auch mit dem OVERSEAS QUARTET. Dazu hat er sich mir Kollegen zusammengetan, die er am Berklee College of Music kennengelernt hatte, dem italienischen Bassklarinettisten & Altosaxophonisten Achille Succi und den kanadischen Brüdern Mark & Kevin Zubek an Kontrabass und Drums. Auf Furioso (Intakt CD 153) spielen sie allerdings nicht Lacy selbst, sondern Stücke, die sich Wickihalder ausgedacht hat, und dazu 'Four in One‘ und 'Played Twice‘ von Monk. Der war nämlich ebenso ein wesentlicher Bezugspunkt für Lacy wie die Vorstellung, dass Jazz etwas mit Tanz zu tun hat, und sei es das von Ornette Coleman propagierte Dancing in Your Head. Folgerichtig zitiert Wickihalder in 'Moonwalk‘ Colemans 'Lorraine‘ und stimmt darum herum Gliederlösendes an wie gleich als Auftakt 'Warm-up Party‘, das flotte ‘The Pocket Trumpet Man‘ oder den, zur Tarantella erhitzten Walzer 'Lovers‘, den er für seine eigene Hochzeit geschrieben und auch schon bei der Duoeinspielung angestimmt hat. Daneben ist 'Valley‘ eine Liebeserklärung an seine Heimat, den Kanton Glarus, dessen Schönheiten von beiden Bläsern schwärmerich und durchaus ein bisschen sentimental besungen werden. Noch besinnlicher ist da nur noch der Ausklang 'Autumn Child‘, der fast schon Wiegenliedcharakter hat. Dazwischen sprudelt 'Surfing and Flying‘ sportlich und temporeich im Geiste von Colemans fröhlichem Futurismus. Bei 'The Moonwalk‘, das zwischen urgemütlich und rasant hin und her schaltet, quäkt der Schweizer à la Roland Kirk mit beiden Instrumenten gleichzeitig. Die kurzen, zickigen Monkstücke, wobei 'Played Twice‘ Mark Zubek seinen großen Auftritt einräumt (während sein Bruder sein Drumsolo als Lovers-Break anbringt), sprechen für sich selbst. Bleibt nur noch, 'Desert Voices‘ zu lauschen, nach dessen flatterzungigem Sopranointro einem jeder Sandhaufen als Zungenspitze der Sahara taugt.
Rigobert Dittmann, Bad Alchemy, Deutschland, 61/2009

The whole issue of how deep influences run is pervasive in a lot of places here. In this set largely of free bop, leader Jurg Wickihalder's soprano sax playing often evokes the spirit of Steve Lacy in everything but the quack. It's notable from the opening "Warm-up Party" where Wickihalder and Achille Succi on bass clarinet dance around each other's line in a composition that has about the air of Herbie Nicholls. The comparison is kind of rendered pertinent by the fact that the master once penned a piece called "House Party Starting."
That said, it could all be a matter of programming. On the following "The Pocket Trumpet Man," the title referring to Don Cherry presumably, the soprano sax/bass clarinet duo manage to evoke something other than the spirits of Lacy and Eric Dolphy, and this over a hyperactive rhythm which for all the activity still manages to cohere in pleasing fashion.
When Wickihalder switches to alto sax, as he does on "Desert Voices," the matter of comparison is rendered that much more irrelevant. He has his own thing going on with that horn, and it's underscored by a much more contemplative air; if anything, he has some of Ken McIntyre's singularity. The bass-drums cartel of Mark Zubek and Kevin Zubek provide a model of colorful empathy on this one, shading the horns' lines yet at the same time being alert to all the implications of rhythmic suspension. It works a treat, the music flowering in its own way for all the predominance of a tradition of which it's self-evidently a part.
Performing a couple of Thelonious Monk compositions is however tempting fate, especially in view of Lacy's lifelong fascination with and for the man's work. "Four In One" is initially taken solo by the duo of soprano sax and bass clarinet. Wickihalder's debt to Lacy is all too apparent, although for whatever reason he seems to lack his forebear's insatiable curiosity for the music. "Played Twice" gets a whole lot closer to what could be the essence of Monk's music, though again without suggesting that the group has anything significantly new to say about it.
As a composer, Wickihalder is not without his own idiosyncrasies and these are perhaps most apparent on "The Valley," where a contemplative air comes into its own again and proceedings hint at something other than the sum total of influences. The fact that this happens only intermittently throughout a program that doesn't come anywhere near the hour mark, suggests a group caught early in its musical development.
Nic Jones, All About Jazz, January 14, 2008

Frank von Niederhäusern, Radiomagazin, Schweiz, 17. - 30 Januar 2009

The Wire, London, January 2009

Featuring Jurg Wickihaler on soprano & alto sax & compositions, Achille Succi on bass clarinet & alto sax Mark Zubek on bass and Kevin Zubek on drums. This is certainly an odd international quartet of players from varied backgrounds. I know of downtown drummer Kevin Zubek from his work with Satlah ( 3 CD's on Tzadik), the Lemon Juice Qt and a trio with Daniel Carter, but I wasn't familiar with his brother Mark before this. Jurg Wickihalder I only know from a recent duo disc also on Intakt with Chris Wiesendanger. Italian reed player, Achille Succi, has a fine duo disc out on El Gallo Rojo. It turns out that these players met at the Berklee College of Music in Boston in the 90's.
Mr. Wickihalder wrote all but two of the songs here with two Monk covers: "Four in One" and "Played Twice". On the opener, "Warm-up Party" the combination of bass clarinet and soprano sax is especially charming. The piece has an old school, swinging and an infectious theme withtasty solos form both reeds players. It seems that Jurg excels at writing songs that sound as if they were popular in the fifties, amongst classics like "Jitterbug Waltz" by Fats Waller (I know it from an earlier era) or some of Monk's gems o the Riverside label. There is something enicing about the combination of bass clarinet and soprano or alo sax that makes these tunes so enchanting and iventive simultaneously. I dig the way both saxes lay the theme together, twisting it slighty as they go on "Desert Voices". "Lovers" has oe of those swell post-klez-like melodies that band like Satlah specialized in, so it is another delight and most memorable melody. "Four in One" is one of Monk's more difficult songs, s it is gas to hear both saxes play the them together even if it is so short. "Surfin and Flying" is a spectacular, fast and furiouspiece with a most challenging, tight two sax thee that must be heard to be believed. Wow! "Moonwalk" also starts off quickly and then goesinto a goofy melody that keeps switching back o a high speed theme. Incredible!
Jurg has a knak for writing tunes that go in unexpected directins, keep the quartet on their toes and surprising us as well. How th mighty Intakt label continues to blow minds with each and every release is still a mystery to me but thank the powers that be they do!
BLG, Newsletter Downtonwn Music Gallery New York, January 24, 2008

Switzerland's Intakt label is usually associated with free improvisation, but saxophonist Jürg Wickihalder's quartet delivers a vivacious and amiably bouncy contrapuntal jazz that sounds like a street-march or circus band but with a canny postbop spin. Wickihalder works with the great Swiss pianist Irene Schweizer, but here he shares seamless dialogues with fellow saxophonist and bass clarinettist Achille Succi, accompanied only by sympathetically succinct and often springy walking bass and drums. Wickihalder's needling, Steve Lacy-like sound contrasts tellingly with Succi's Eric Dolphyesque spiky stateliness, and their improvisations together sweep from playful lyricism to exchanges of blurts, squalls and squeals, and back again. Slow pieces such as Desert Voices have a violin-like sustained elegance, while the Latin-dancing Lovers could be a Carla Bley theme. Of the two Monk tributes, the briefly haiku-like Four in One is mostly a swirling horn exchange, and a stealthy Played Twice swaps the melody playfully with Mark Zubek's bass. It's polished, stylishly delivered postbop.
John Fordman, The Guardian, Friday 2 January 2009

Tøft fra Alpelandet
Jürg Wickihalder er en saksofonist med noe helt eget på hjertet.

I fjor blei vi introdusert for sveitsiske Jürg Wickihalder for første gang i duosamarbeid med pianisten Chris Wiesendanger. Her møter vi han i en ny setting og med medspillere fra to andre land. Begge deler har vært en sann fornøyelse.
Wickihalder, som har rukket å bli 35 år, visste tidlig hvor han ønsket seg musikalsk. Han oppsøkte sopransaksofon-guruen Steve Lacy i Paris på begynnelsen av 90-tallet og den grunnsteinen som blei lagt der, har Wickihalder bare fortsatt å bygge på.
Noen år seinere gikk turen til Boston og USA og Berklee College of Music. Der traff han blant annet på italieneren Achille Succi, som spiller bassklarinett og altsaksofon, og de amerikanske brødrene Kevin og Mark Zubek, som spiller henholdsvis trommer og bass.
Wickihalder spiller både alt- og sopransaksofon og det betyr at instrumenteringa i kvartetten er ganske så original. De fire har på ingen måte hatt kontinuerlig kontakt siden de forlot hverandre for cirka 10 år siden, men kjemien er likevel på plass. Det høres ut som om bandet har lang fartstid bak seg og de fire stortrives i alle fall i hverandres selskap.
Wickihalder har skrevet all musikken bortsett fra to låter av Thelonious Monk. Både «Four in One» og «Played Twice» hadde også Wickihalders mentor Steve Lacy spilt inn og Wickihalders komposisjoner er i hans ånd. Det betyr moderne og heftig musikk langt i fra så fri som vi har blitt vant til fra det spennende sveitsiske selskapet Intakt Records.
Lacy mente at det skulle være mulig å danse til musikken hans. Det mener tydeligvis også Jürg Wickihalder og «Furioso» har blitt et flott, livsbejaende og annerledes visittkort fra en musikant vi skal følge med spenning i åra som kommer.
Tor Hammerø, Side2, Norway, 27.01.09

Partenaire d’Irène Schweizer et membre échappé de Billiger Bauer, le saxophoniste Jürg Wickihalder emmène aujourd’hui son Overseas Quartet au rythme de Furioso.
Avant toute chose, scelle, auprès de Mark et Kevin Zubek (contrebasse et batterie), son entente avec le clarinettiste et saxophoniste Achille Succi : sur un swing irréprochable, le duo atteste de pratiques délurées élevées au son de grandes figures des instruments qu’il emploie (Steve Lacy pour le soprano, Eric Dolphy pour la clarinette basse) et consigne quelques entrelacs aussi élégants que vigoureux sur l’allure d’un jazz primesautier (qui est le terme exact) avide d’unissons autant que de dérapages.
Manquant quelques fois de se faire ravir par un excès de sensibilité (début de Desert Voices ou thème indigeste de Lovers), le savoir-faire de compositeur de Jürg Wickihalder donne le jour à quelques pièces de choix – Warm-up Party ou Autumn Child – qui trouvent sans peine leur place auprès de deux reprises : Four in One et Played Twice, de Thelonious Monk. Les influences indépassables, la pratique assise, et puis l’inspiration.
Guillaume Belhomme, www.lesondugrisli.com, France, 30 janvier 2009

Der junge Schweizer Sopransaxofonist zeigt, dass es richtig und wichtig war, an dieser Band, deren Mitglieder er zu seiner Studienzeit in Berklee kennenlernte, festzuhalten. Die Drum'n Bass-Brüder Zubek aus New York und ebendort in der Szene verwurzelt sowie der wunderbare italienische Bassklarinettist Achille Succi bilden das kongeniale und interaktive Rückgrat für die exquisiten Kompositionen Wickihalders, die eine großartige akustische Palette druckvoll, fröhlich, komplex, präzise, genussvoll und emotional bis zur Neige auskosten und das Gesamtbild dabei stets dicht und punktgenau formulieren können. Sehr schön, und auch beim Hochzeitswalzer kommt schon mal Schmutz in die Tröte.
Honker, Music made my day, Terz, Februar 2009

Jörg Konrad, Jazzpodium, Deutschland, Februar 2009

It will be five years in June since Steve Lacy died, leaving behind one of the richest legacies – as both a composer and improviser – in jazz. Swiss saxophonist Jürg Wickihalder has made a start at coming to grips with that legacy, using Lacy’s music as a jumping off point for his own new developments. Furioso, the debut recording by his Overseas Quartet with Italian reed player Achille Succi and New York-based brothers Mark and Kevin Zubek on bass and drums respectively, is at its best when the spirit of Lacy’s art, rather than a literal duplication of his style, informs the music. Getting a grip on the creative spirit that animates great music is, of course, a much more difficult task. Wickihalder has certainly paid attention to the structure of Lacy’s music. Sometimes you hear scraps of Lacy in Wickihalder’s composing, such as the opening of “Warm-up Party.” Evidence of his school days with Lacy’s improvising is heard during his solo on “The Pocket Trumpet Man.” But Wickihalder and his band strike out on their own, they make exciting, witty, and swinging jazz. Wickihalder has a warmer, wetter sound than Lacy, and a more vulnerable side to his alto sound. He spikes his lines with peeved split tones, ironic twitters, joyous little whoops, but they never derail the development of his solos. His improvisations on “Warm-up Party” and “Surfing and Flying” may not end up where you expect, but they always sound like he knows where he’s going. Wickihalder planes the edges of his compositions a bit smoother than Lacy’s, but if they are not as harshly angled, they are just as rigorously constructed and playful. Wickihalder enjoys the pleasures of genre more directly than Lacy, who drew on many sources, but rarely if ever composed in a particular genre. Wickihalder’s “Lovers” is a jazz-tango; “The Pocket Trumpet Man” a close parallel to Don Cherry’s melodic approach; “The Moonwalk” has all the frenetic energy and hilarity of a silent film or cartoon soundtrack; the shade of Ornette Coleman hovers over “Desert Voices.”
The Zubek brothers provide a strong, supple, clear foundation for the music; another lesson clearly learned from Lacy’s several bands. Succi, heard on alto sax and bass clarinet, provides just enough rhythmic tension to make an engaging foil for Wickihalder. He throws Wickihalder and the quartet off balance in a good way on “The Pocket Trumpet Man, and “Lovers.” His bass clarinet solo on “The Valley,” balances clarity and grit, lyricism and sound, in equal measure for one of the album’s highlights.
Perhaps the repeated comparisons to Lacy are misleading. The music of Wickihalder and the Overseas Quartet is clever and joyful music. It delights in mind as well as the physical pleasures of swing and the emotional appeal of melody. And that is plenty enough to recommend it.
Ed Hazell, pointofdeparture, USA, February 2009

Silvano Luca Gerosa, Jazz 'n' More, Schweiz, März/April 2009

Irrespective of the connections, the soprano saxophone clarion call opening Furioso immediately evokes the ghost of Steve Lacy. The debut disc from Swiss soprano saxophonist Jurg Wickihalder's Overseas quartet might be better titled Vivacissimo, such is the joy and vitality which springs out from every digital pit and pore.
Though it was at Boston's Berklee College of Music where Wickihalder met the other members of his quartet, it was Lacy who remained a seminal influence from their first meeting when he was 19 years old, as detailed in the liners of his previous release, the delightful A Feeling For Someone (Intakt, 2008). Indeed, the Swiss echoes Lacy not only in his sound, but in his choice of material, with two Thelonious Monk compositions featured alongside eight originals. If this is starting to suggest that Wickihalder is a mere clone, then don't worry, the saxophonist is well on the way to carving out his own turf with a straightforward melodicism tinged with just a little avant attitude in a 45-minute program that, while modern, also harks back to pre-bop days in it's co-option of dance and folk forms.
Wickihalder is abetted by a well-balanced ensemble featuring Italy's Achille Succi (bass clarinet, alto saxophone) and the Toronto-born Zubek brothers, Mark (bass) and Kevin (drums). Succi is gaining a name for himself in increasing sideman credits, with Boston guitarist Garrison Fewell's Variable Density Sound Orchestra (Creative Nation Music, 2009) most recently, while Mark Zubek has toured with Betty Carter and Wynton Marsalis and Kevin Zubek appears on a welter of Tzadik releases, a testament to his activity on the Radical Jewish Culture scene.
"Warm-up Partys jaunty two-step finds Wickihalder's soprano goosed by Succi's bass clarinet; the leader's playful solo culminates in a sequence of hoarse duck-like cries, echoed by Succi, that would have brought a smile to the face of his mentor. Elsewhere, the horns intertwine like outcasts from a Dixieland ensemble on the bouncy "The Pocket Trumpet Man" and more edgy jollity of "Surfing And Flying." As with melody, meter is never far away, with the surefooted Zubeks managing switches in style and tempo without fuss.
"Lovers," a waltz imbued with the passion of a tango and written for Wickihalder's own wedding, is reprised from A Feeling For Someone and graced with nimble interplay between alto and soprano where they happily avoid treading on each others toes. On the two Monk pieces, Wickihalder goes for the essential, paring each down to less than three minutes for a spiraling horn rendition of "Four in One," while soprano and bass clarinet extend the deceptively simple theme of "Played Twice," before a thematic bass solo. "Autumn Child," another reprise from his previous release, passes by in a cloud of melancholic beauty sketched by sinuous horns, to close out this charming album on a tender note.
Wickihalder is finding his voice and it will surely be one to listen out for in the future.
John Sharpe, www.allaboutjazz.com, USA, March 11 2009

Wickihalder: Bitte sich den Namen zu merken. Jürg Wickihalder! Nach dem Duett mit dem Pianisten Chris Wiesendanger (’A Feeling For Someone’, auch bei Intakt erschienen) aus dem Jahre 2007 sucht der Schweizer Saxofonist wieder das Monk-&-Lacy-Universum auf. Das singt und swingt auf vertrackten Wegen. Mit dem Italiener Achille Succi als zweiten Bläser (besonders hervorhebenswert ist sein Bassklarinettenspiel) und den Brüdern Zubek als quicklebendiges Rhythmusgespann; die in New York situierten Kanadier, die ein breites Spektrum von Rock über Jazz bis HipHop musikalisch abdecken, hat er sich eine feine Band zusammengestellt. Kennengelernt hat man sich am Berklee College. Eine fröhliche, humorvolle Geste an die beiden Ahnväter des modernen Jazz. Wenn man an diesem Tonträger schon irgendetwas aussetzen will, dann ist es die manchmal fast schon gespenstische Nähe zu Ton und Phrasierung seines ehemaligen Lehrers Steve Lacy. Aber man kann sowieso nie genug Lacy-Aufnahmen daheim haben, meine ich. Und, das möchte ich schon betonen, es ist genug Jürg Wickihalder in ’Furioso’, der Musik dieses Überseequartetts drinnen, um den Verdacht zu entkräften, da würde sich nur ein Klon produzieren. Bin schon auf den nächsten Themenschwerpunkt des Saxofonisten neugierig.
Ernst Mitter, freiStil, Magazin für Musik und Umgebung. Nr 24, 2009

Alfred Krondraf, Concerto, Österreich, April/Mai 2009

Andrew Henkin, All About Jazz New York, USA, June 2009

Je hoeft geen ‘kenner’ te zijn om na een paar seconden al te snappen dat je hier met iets bijzonder te maken hebt. Zelden voel je de goesting waarmee muziek gespeeld wordt zo lekker uit de boxen knallen. En wat een intro en melodielijn ook. ‘Warm-Up Party’ kan eigenlijk zo de mooie galerij van jazz classics in. Of schijnt de invloed van Steve Lacy en vooral Thelonious Monk iets te hard door de track? Wat maakt het ook uit, dit swingt als een trein (de Canadese broertjes – ritmetandem Mark en Kevin Zubek kwijten zich de hele cd met verve van hun taak)! De track staat met beide voeten in de (post)bop traditie van de jaren ’60 maar klinkt op geen enkel moment retro. Als componist heeft Wickihalder meer dan alleen knappe Monk-tunes in de mouwen. Van het hilarische Zorn-esque rondhuppelende ‘The Moonwalk’ over de snelle bebop van ‘Surfing and Flying’, de polka goes Masada van ‘Lovers’ tot schitterende trage nummers als ‘The Valley’ of de ontroerend mooie ballad vol vrijheid ‘Desert Voices’. En hoewel overal aanwezig is het in deze kalmere tracks frappant hoe de twee blazers elkaar blindelings lijken te vinden (al is dit pas hun eerste opname samen). De Italiaan Achille Succi (meestal basklarinet) is spaarzaam en lekker tegendraads en gaat soms beangstigend goed Eric Dolphy achterna. Jürg Wickihalder (een Zwitser) zelf combineert met het grootste naturel wervelende melodielijnen met free uithalen. Maar nogmaals: het is de manier waarop elke noot 100% doorleefd klinkt die van deze “Furioso” (laat je vooral door de titel niet misleiden) nu al een van de jazz-releases van 2009 maakt. Aanrader!
Soundslike. Jazz. Belgium. 14/06/2009

On Furioso, Swiss saxophonist Jürg Wickihalder assembles a worldly collective for an exuberant ten song program marked by the spirit of mentor Steve Lacy without coming across as a facsimile of that master’s prototype. Without a doubt, this effervescent Postbop is infectious, with the additional influences of Ornette Coleman and Thelonious Monk underpinning the striking results. In addition to the compositional fortitude, the interwoven group dynamics featuring Italian alto saxophonist/bass clarinetist Achille Succi and the sprightly brother rhythm team of American bassist Mark Zubek and drummer Kevin Zubeck, make this a winner. The group’s paradigm is announced immediately on the glorious midtempo groove of “Warm-Up Party,” a jaunty bounce that spotlights Wickihalder’s Lacyisms in concert with Succi’s Dolphy-influenced bass clarinet. Such frisky environs also spark the merriment of “The Pocket Trumpet Man,” surely a nod to Don Cherry, the Ornettish “Surfing and Flying” and the nimble tightrope skittishness of “The Moonwalk.” Monk also gets a glimpse on two tributes, the horn-centered “Four In One” and a devilishly keen rearrangement of “Played Twice” that features Mark Zubek’s vivacious lines. As for quieter terrains that demonstrate that multi-faceted features of the ensemble, the anthemic “Desert Voices” offers compelling work from Wikihalder’s alto, while the melancholic “Autumn Child” speaks to the beauty of Wikihalder’s fragile soprano lines against the lilting work of Succi’s bass clarinet. For sure, this is one of those standout records of the year that, while not garnering a mountain of online or written press hype, the burnished interplay and striking blueprints should make a coveted item.
Jay Collins, Cadence, USA, July/August/September 2009

Ancora una volta la svizzera Intakt si conferma etichetta di grande rigore e qualità, con questo nuovo lavoro del giovane trentacinquenne sassofonista Jurg Wickihalder. Furioso si discosta un po' dai canoni della improvvisazione radicale che hanno caratterizzato la produzione dell'etichetta, mettendo in luce un quartetto vivace e un po' guascone che mescola melodie asciutte ed essenziali, contrappunto jazzistico e musica di strada da marching bands... dai tratti quasi circensi.
Lo fa in modo originale grazie al bagaglio tecnico del leader, cresciuto alla corte della conterranea pianista Irene Schweizer, ed evocando al meglio lo spirito del compianto maestro Steve Lacy.
Wickihalder predilige il sax ai clarinetti, anche perché ad accompagnarlo in questa avventura, c'è l'italiano Achille Succi, che al clarino basso si conferma tra le voci più interessanti del vecchio continente. A completare questo Overseas Quartet l'ottima accoppiata canadese costituita dai fratelli Zubek, che conferiscono coloriture e sospensione ritmica dando vita a un dialogo danzante basato su grande condivisione e affinità.
Composizioni in gran parte originali del leader transalpino, oltre ad un paio di brani di Monk, che rimandano a tratti del free jazz, ma con un gusto, una danzabilità e una gioia del tutto inusuali che ne fanno un lavoro di spessore ed efficacia, ritmo e sobrietà.
Lavoro pieno di citazioni in cui qua e là si trovano piccoli omaggi, a Don Cherry nei titoli con "The Pocket Trumpet Man," a Lacy nella timbrica nasale di alcuni passaggi, ma senza mai scadere nel banale o già sentito.
Luca Vitali, All About Jazz Italia, 22-05-2009

Oltralpe nascono progetti e fioriscono musicisti che hanno molto da comunicare. È il caso del trentacinquenne Wickihalder, cresciuto sotto l’influenza di Steve Lacy e la guida di Irène Schweizer. Particolarmente originale, il suo Overseas Quartet predilige linee scarne e contrappuntistiche all’interno di un amalgama free pervaso da un senso ironico, giocoso, festante e vagamente malinconico. Citazioni (The Pocket Trumpet Man pare riferita a Don Cherry), evocazioni di marchin’ bands o di atmosfere circensi, furiosi momenti free si mescolano e si agitano come le onde messe in copertina. I compagni di viaggio s’integrano perfettamente: Succi è mirabolante al clarinetto basso e i fratelli canadesi Zubek costruiscono una ritmica sospesa, aperta e allo stesso tempo incalzante. Il leader – autore di tutti i brani tranne le monkiane Four In One e Played Twice – riesce perfettamente a unire la freschezza delle improvvisazioni con la pagina scritta. Un disco di free jazz pacato, capace di sorprendere l’ascoltatore.
Alberga, Musica Jazz, Italia, Nr. 2 / 2010

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