Laut & Leipzig - the blog of the Leipzig Jazz Days.

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Vagabond Souls by Lukas Diller
Vagabond Souls by Lukas Diller

"Vagabond Souls" is the latest project of the ever-diligent composer and saxophonist Johannes Ludwig. The troupe takes the audience in Horns Erben into a jazz cosmos full of nonchalance. 

The word "vagabond" comes from the Latin vagari and means "to wander around", "to stroll". So besides the common, rather negative connotation, it also has a free, detached meaning. Without further ado, the band gets going and makes clear why they are the "Vagabond Souls": The music invites to (actual or mental) drifting. 

Ludwig's saxophone and Heidi Bayer's trumpet playing complement each other perfectly. But it is above all the guitars of Schipmann and Brämswig that lift you out of the deep cool jazz chair and transport you into the well-padded Cadillac seat, put a cold Old Fashioned in your hand and let you cruise along the Californian coast. A great homage to the 70s: sunglasses on and bell-bottoms on. Effortlessly the musicians fly through the bars and take the - unfortunately sometimes a bit lethargic - audience with them. 

After the first piece, Ludwig greets the audience, which almost completely fills the hall, and is visibly pleased about the lively interest. He tells an anecdote about his last gig in Leipzig, where, among other things, half of the drums were missing - lucky for us that everything is there today. 

The sound picture changes after the first two songs. In "Green Wild" the focus is clearly on the horns. Lisa Wulff swaps the electric bass for a double bass, which makes it a bit cozier on stage, both in terms of space and musically. Underlined by a warm, smooth bassline, the two horns complement a restrained drum kit. It feels like floating on codeine clouds in the sunshine over an alpine meadow. The audience applauds after the end of the piece, slightly delayed, as if in a frenzy.

This is followed by "Sing," composed back in 2014, which Ludwig himself says never made it onto a record before. Maybe that would have been okay, too. Too squiggly the horns, the melodies remain a bit pale. But the phenomenal guitar playing consoles over it. Then follows again more structure and drive. 

"Fatigue is an Asshole" is a declaration of war on the Covid-induced fatigue that still plagues many. Ludwig and Bayer fire dynamic melodies that sound together, divide and then find each other again without ever interrupting the flow. Alex Parzhuber's complex and accurate drum patterns provide clear lines to this. There is no trace of tiredness in the audience anymore: Intermediate applause resounds after strong sequences.
Not everything sounds like smooth drinks and intoxication: In two pieces the band shows their whole range. Metallic guitar riffs together with saxophone melodies reminiscent of James Bond soundtracks in "Exposures" as well as calmer tones escalating to dadaistic noise in "Interference". Then it's over, it seems. The band comes strolling on stage again for an encore. And in the last piece, the boss shows again what he can do. Accompanied by funk riffs, reminiscent of John Frusciante, he shoots out playful melodies, which again cause cheers in between. After about an hour the concert is over, the band's second show follows immediately on the same stage. For the present, relaxed audience the journey ends here.

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