November 2008

Torben Waldorff
Afterburn
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By Bill Milkowski

Scandinavian guitar-composer Torben Waldorff surrounds himself here with some of the finest young players on New York’s underground jazz scene in tenor saxophonist Donny McCaslin, keyboardist Sam Yahel, drummer Jon Wikan and bassist Matt Clohesy. A fluent, post-Rosenwinkel player, Waldorff swings persuasively on “Espresso Crescent” and “Squealfish” while navigating challenging unisons with McCaslin on “Daze.” His affecting “JWS” falls into Metheny-Frisell heartland territory and he explores freely on the darkly introspective rubato number, “Eel Thye Deeflat.”