{"product_id":"alden-hellmuth-tether","title":"ALDEN HELLMUTH - Tether","description":"\u003cp\u003eGerman Jazz Prize winner \u003cstrong\u003eAlden Hellmuth\u003c\/strong\u003e returns with second album Tether, an eight-track exploration of jazz, punk and freeform improvisation.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp data-start=\"0\" data-end=\"437\"\u003eIn any band there is a constant push and pull. A state of tension and release between written music and improvisation, between leading and following each other. In the instinctive, unpredictable world of jazz, that push and pull can explode groups and compositions into entirely new forms, yet no matter how far each player might be stretched there is always something connecting them back to each other and back to the tune. A tether.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp data-start=\"439\" data-end=\"1125\"\u003eFor New York-based saxophonist and composer Alden Hellmuth, that innate sense of connection between bandmates and between the dual states of form and freedom is a crucial aspect of her creativity. Following her German Jazz Prize winning 2024 debut album \u003cem data-start=\"697\" data-end=\"714\"\u003eGood Intentions\u003c\/em\u003e, Hellmuth now returns with the aptly titled \u003cem data-start=\"759\" data-end=\"767\"\u003eTether\u003c\/em\u003e, an eight-track exploration of jazz, punk and freeform improvisation that centers on the notion that regardless of how loud and unruly her band might get, the tether always ties the players back to the listener and their invigorating experience. \u003cem data-start=\"1014\" data-end=\"1022\"\u003eTether\u003c\/em\u003e will be released via \u003cstrong data-start=\"1044\" data-end=\"1054\"\u003eLEITER\u003c\/strong\u003e on limited edition vinyl and all digital platforms on June 26, 2026.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp data-start=\"1127\" data-end=\"1439\"\u003e“The record is a study in how to effectively write and communicate improvisational ideas,” she says. “We’re always bending and pulling to make something new out of the music in the present moment and even in the improvising world you have to stay tethered to other people in the band. All of us are connected.”\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp data-start=\"1441\" data-end=\"2430\"\u003eDrawing on the free jazz double bass ensembles of \u003cstrong data-start=\"1491\" data-end=\"1510\"\u003eOrnette Coleman\u003c\/strong\u003e and \u003cstrong data-start=\"1515\" data-end=\"1530\"\u003eAndrew Hill\u003c\/strong\u003e, \u003cem data-start=\"1532\" data-end=\"1540\"\u003eTether\u003c\/em\u003e sees Hellmuth enlist the thunderous ensemble of two innovative bassists, \u003cstrong data-start=\"1614\" data-end=\"1628\"\u003eLogan Kane\u003c\/strong\u003e and \u003cstrong data-start=\"1633\" data-end=\"1649\"\u003eMiller Wrenn\u003c\/strong\u003e, alongside drummer \u003cstrong data-start=\"1669\" data-end=\"1685\"\u003eJustin Brown\u003c\/strong\u003e (\u003cstrong data-start=\"1687\" data-end=\"1701\"\u003eThundercat\u003c\/strong\u003e, \u003cstrong data-start=\"1703\" data-end=\"1716\"\u003eAja Monet\u003c\/strong\u003e) to deliver a suite of heavy low-end compositions. Panning each bassist left to right and playing off Wrenn’s and Kane’s distinct timbres, the resulting record veers from the frenetic rhythmic shuffle of opener \u003cem data-start=\"1928\" data-end=\"1943\"\u003eMicrofictions\u003c\/em\u003e to the punk-inflected riotousness of \u003cem data-start=\"1981\" data-end=\"1996\"\u003eFace The Wall\u003c\/em\u003e, the meditative bass harmonics and textural melodies of \u003cem data-start=\"2053\" data-end=\"2064\"\u003eGuesswork\u003c\/em\u003e and the wonky polyrhythmic interchanges of the group’s take on the \u003cstrong data-start=\"2132\" data-end=\"2149\"\u003eJohn Coltrane\u003c\/strong\u003e standard \u003cem data-start=\"2159\" data-end=\"2170\"\u003eSatellite\u003c\/em\u003e. Throughout, Hellmuth’s alto saxophone playing is bright, nimble and deeply felt, wreathing sharp lines through the heady bass-weight of her quartet to deliver a lead performance that only serves to uplift the group rather than subsume it in her virtuosity.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp data-start=\"2432\" data-end=\"2749\" data-is-last-node=\"\" data-is-only-node=\"\"\u003e“I want to challenge and push myself all the time,” she says. “There was a lot of energy behind the project and I hope people can feel that. It isn’t just a jazz record – the influences range from \u003cstrong data-start=\"2629\" data-end=\"2648\"\u003eAnthony Braxton\u003c\/strong\u003e to Japanese punk bands like \u003cstrong data-start=\"2677\" data-end=\"2695\"\u003eOctober Beaver\u003c\/strong\u003e to \u003cstrong data-start=\"2699\" data-end=\"2711\"\u003eDeerhoof\u003c\/strong\u003e and we were just letting it all fly.”\u003c\/p\u003e","brand":"Spindizzy Dublin","offers":[{"title":"Black Vinyl Edition LP","offer_id":57964858343769,"sku":"SDZ-45328","price":35.99,"currency_code":"EUR","in_stock":true}],"thumbnail_url":"\/\/cdn.shopify.com\/s\/files\/1\/0588\/3455\/0945\/files\/a098c20eb2d7d4db91f8f71a6bd98dbf.png?v=1777627892","url":"https:\/\/spindizzyrecords.com\/products\/alden-hellmuth-tether","provider":"Spindizzy Dublin","version":"1.0","type":"link"}