X/Y Goran Kajfeš

June 20, 2011

The Independent

The Swedish/Croatian trumpeter and composer makes his UK debut with two CDs encased in a neat, hardback book of collages and photographs to form a total work of art.

There's a debt to Don Cherry and a resemblance to Woody Shaw's trumpet settings on Zawinul, but mostly X/Y is very original and very, very good: trancey techno meets ambient soundscapes in the world-jazz lounge. While X looks outward and draws from "ethnic" music, Y is more private and chamber-like. Both are great.

5/5 Phil Johnson