Autumn Songs by Duo Baars-Henneman

Liner notes:
This suite of freely improvised and minimally composed pieces is developed by Baars and Henneman for a USA tour in the autumn of 2012.

Edgefest copes with Hurricane Sandy complications, improvises an outstanding start (…) With improvisation as the watchword, the Baars-Henneman Duo brought its lovely and lyrical compositions to life on Wednesday, displaying a gorgeous harmonic convergence of Ig Henneman’s rich viola tones and Baars’ breath-y saxophone runs.
The pair is wrapping up a tour and were clearly in sync, playing off one another as they breezed through a half-dozen avant-chamber music compositions that left plenty of room for improvisation. --Will Stewart Ann Arbor, Nov 1, 2012 Edgefest

Reviews:
(...) Ten well-proportioned improvisations, often of a lyrical nature. Delicate and touching, with Baars en Henneman taking different roles in each piece. Full-grown music that does not want to impress, but invites the listener to discover its beauty. --Dolf Mulder Vital Weekly 884 2013

(...) I dare you to draw a clear line between what is written and what is not. Even in free improvisation mode, this duo is in sync. That, and the unique melodicism arising from their duets, are what makes Autumn Songs an artistic success, an example of musical perfection. --Francois Couture Listening Diary monsieurdelire.com 2013

(...) Ello, unido a la variedad de sonidos que proporciona Ab Baars con su saxo tenor, clarinete y shakuhachi, y el sonido de la viola de Ig Henneman, crean un sonido en el que predomina una sensación de belleza melancólica, puramente otoñal, incluyendo algún tema que podría entrar dentro de la música programática. --Pachi Tapiz, tomajazz May 23, 2013

(...) So manche Atonalität wird geschickt und souverän eingebaut, klingt nur selten ein wenig zickig und aufgesetzt. Gern greift Baars auch zur Klarinette oder zur japanischen Flöte Shakuhachi, exemplarisch bei Winter comes to hush her song, ein Lied, das durch Charles Ives inspiriert wurde, ganz in sich ruhend, sehr, sehr schön. --Christoph Haunschmid Freistil#49 Juni/Juli 2013

(...) The music balances breathy notes against woody tones, as the pair recites their musical wordless poetry. --Mark Corroto allaboutjazz 2013

(...) The two musicians play with the most beautiful palette of colors. They play with the same grace as the movement of waterfowl, such as on ‘Nine and Fifty Swans’. ‘Autumn Songs’ invites you into a cultural bath which quietly yet intensely engulfs the listener in a sound world of images and emotions. (…) The content and technique stand strongly together, that’s what we call class. --Danny Bock jassepoes.be

The recording quality is excellent and the musicians are well balanced. This is a very successful CD: the drab, but also the melancholic side of autumn sounds, all the while never losing sight of the sparse sunlight. --David Cohen jazzenzo.nl June 26, 2013

Where the previous album, 'Stof', mostly dealt with exploring the material of the music, the recalcitrance of the instruments, there is in ‘Autumn Songs’ a good deal of light and air. (…) However, within the intimate atmosphere of the album there is still room for the occasional gritty sounds. (…) This is the expression of emotions, and sometimes that requires something more than purely melodious sounds. --Herman te Loo, Jazzflits 29 April 2013