Bee-like movements

If she had a time machine, Dela Hüttner would travel back to the 1930s and 1940s. First and foremost to experience the heyday of swing live, as the singer revealed in an interview. This fondness for the genre is even reflected in the name of her band: SwingThing. On his album branches the quintet from Baden and Zurich focuses not least on the dialog between Hüttner's elastic vocals, Adrian Mira's multifaceted clarinet playing and Thomas Goralski's piano.

Although swing serves as the band's reference and starting point, they are only too happy - and with verve - to swarm out into other jazz variants, klezmer or even folk. SwingThing prefer to move like bees: sometimes they feast on chanson, sometimes on balladesque jazz. And in between, they even indulge in the influences of literary greats such as Emily Dickinson or Paul Verlaine.

The song from the repertoire of Josephine Baker Mayari begins with a lascivious cabaret sound, but soon turns to French vocals with a thickly applied accent and shortly afterwards sprinkles in a bluesy guitar solo. Meanwhile I'm Nobody at Duke Ellington's Five o'Clock Drag serves, Dela Hüttner's Quiet Love initially as a bedtime song, only to increasingly turn out to be a melancholy serenade.

The ten tracks in total are like a continuous look into a kaleidoscope: a slight twist and the result is a change. SwingThing not only succeeds in bringing their music into a natural flow, but also in constantly driving it forward and developing it further. This results in a release that is visibly captivating. Branches is less convincing with offensive means and instead with sophisticated arrangements, subtle grooves and a musicality that is imbued with power and warmth at the same time.

Swing Thing: Branches. Dela Hüttner, vocals; Adrian Mira, clarinet; Mischa Frey, double bass; Samir Böhringer, drums; Thomas Goralski, hammond/piano; Mario Mauz, guitar. Ship of Fools NAR 2020152