Samuel Huwyler Archive

The Great Harry Hillman – Tilt – Cuneiform

by Audiophile Audition | Oct 9, 2017 | Jazz CD Reviews

The Great Harry Hillman – Tilt [TrackList follows] – Cuneiform, Rune 433, 43:07 [5/26/17] ****: (Nils Fischer – reeds; David Koch – guitar, effects; Samuel Huwyler – bass; Dominik Mahnig – drums) The Great Harry Hillman: Swiss post-jazz ready for discovery. There’s something slightly off-kilter about this Lucerne, Switzerland quartet. And that’s the point. This unassuming but forward-veering jazz group inexplicably borrowed its name from American Olympian Harry Hillman, who won three gold medals in the 1904 Summer Olympics. The Great Harry Hillman also plays what some have called post-jazz, which pulls influences from jazz, rock, flowing improvisation and other sources into a modern mélange which, at times, echoes Tortoise, the Neil Cowley Trio, and other likeminded artists. The Great Harry Hillman (or TGHH for short) formed in 2009, and the 43-minute Tilt is the band’s third release and first on the cutting-edge Cuneiform imprint. If you think a foursome who gets its name from an obscure athlete might be a bit different, you’d be correct. Electric guitarist David Koch, bassist Samuel Huwyler, drummer Dominik Mahnig and multi-reeds player Nils Fischer create music which is very much in the contemporary vernacular, combining delicate melodies, snaking rhythmic aspects, and a shared […]