WAS NUN - Voyage (CD)

Progress and continuity often stand in each other's way. When these two seemingly antagonistic principles are mutually reinforcing, however, great things usually emerge. "Voyage," the second album by Germany's smallest big band, Was Nun, is undoubtedly such a stroke of luck. The echoes of their debut, released just last year, still resonate, yet the six-member band is embarking on entirely new territory.
As original as the band name "Was Nun" is, the group manages to ignore it in a wonderfully refreshing way on "Voyage," because on their second outing, the sextet knows exactly what to do. Saxophonist Moritz Aring, trumpeter Marvin Zimmermann, trombonist Jan Frederik Schmidt, pianist Tony Williams, bassist Marcus Lewyn, and drummer Erik Mrotzek continue to cultivate the rebelliously distinguished sound of their predecessor, which, while graciously harking back to the achievements of jazz history, simultaneously confidently sets out into the future. The arrangements for the three wind instruments and the rhythm section are so sophisticated and precise that it's often hard to believe they're just a sextet at work.
But the six protagonists of Was Nun are far too curious to be satisfied with their achievements. While they took the momentum of their first album with them on their journey, they gave considerable thought to upcoming changes before producing their successor. From a series of theater projects that preceded their debut, the band was used to thinking in long-term terms. This time, however, they wanted to enjoy the immediate moment more. This commitment to spontaneity comes across with concentrated power. While on "Labyrinth" the six travelers told a story about where they came from, on "Voyage" they mark their current position all the more clearly. This subtle leap into the present is expressed in a different way in each song. Where other bands mature and age, Was Nun has audibly gained experience, but at the same time has bathed in a fountain of youth without pandering to the tastes of their listeners.
The songs of the six-piece band tell stories from the lives of all involved. Whether it's the personal memories of individuals from their stays in certain places or recently deceased friends, or the shared experiences of the entire band—the poignancy of the individual narrative translated into a collective language is palpable from the first to the last note of the album. “They may be stories that only relate to one or the other in the band, but ultimately they become narratives that relate to all of us.”, summarizes Jan Frederik Schmidt. "It's simply because we always do so much together. Our personal and professional stories intertwine into a common narrative thread."
Was Nun's new approach also includes the upgrading of the rhythm section. While on "Labyrinth" the piano, bass and drums were somewhat overshadowed by the broad brass section - albeit prominently - on "Voyage" they add much more of their own accents. This gives Was Nun's playing more contours and richer contrasts. Larger parts appear even larger, smaller parts seem much smaller. The totality of the contrasts rests on all six shoulders. Bassist Marcus Lewyn emphasizes that there was no conscious decision behind this process, but saxophonist Moritz Aring notes that they simply wanted to arrange many parts less thoroughly. This opens up greater freedom for the spontaneous development of ideas, and the rhythm section simply comes into its own.
The band's creative impulses are very evenly distributed. Was Nun's signature, already evident on "Labyrinth," is unmistakable, yet the group on "Voyage" is much more unpredictable in its individual parts, and the dramaturgy from song to song, as well as within individual songs, has become more unpredictable. “The album may seem like a series of short stories”, says Aring, "But all these stories have connections. That's why we chose the album title 'Voyage'. What have we already experienced and seen together on our journey, and what might still be waiting for us on the horizon?"
Going on a journey always means leaving something familiar behind in order to gain something new. This magic of letting go is a common thread that runs through the songs on the album and continues to impress each time you listen to them.
Speaking of signature: One of the band's greatest strengths is its brilliance. Are the fifteen or more voices we sometimes think we hear really just six musicians? The six voices combine, as if in a calculated blind flight, into a meta-voice, thus managing to conjure up associations in the listener's ear with a multitude of other voices. “We simply know each other much better than on the first album”, confirms pianist Tony Williams, "and can play to our strengths much better. Today, when I write a song for Was Nun, I know exactly who will perceive it and how. This way, I can give my colleagues voices that perfectly match their personalities. We support each other just as much as we challenge each other to progress musically together."
"Six travel the whole world," the Brothers Grimm once remarked. And so the journey begins. A band reinvents itself while remaining true to itself. Was Nun takes the imaginative ear on an entertaining, as diverse as it is eventful, journey from the familiar into the unknown, inviting us to linger here, to reflect there, and always to set off again.

01 Travel
02 Street of Embarrassment
03 Shift
04 Never Alone
05 Trappist-1
06 Mr. GJS
07 Obstacle Course
08 All Roads Lead To Home