Lubos Soukup Ensemble: Through The Mirror

"The saxophone player and composer Luboš Soukup, who has garnered success as a member of the ensembles Points and Inner Spaces (the prestigious Czech Anděl award for the best jazz album of 2012) and in 2012 debuted with a recording project of his quartet, is now releasing on the ANIMAL MUSIC label a new album, THROUGH THE MIRROR. In addition to the members of Soukup’s own quartet, made up of players hailing from Scandinavia (Soukup studied and still lives in Copenhagen), the CD also features another six wind instrumentalists from Copenhagen, where the bulk of the album was recorded, and the Czech Republic’s Epoque Quartet. The album solely comprises Soukup’s pieces of a markedly mature nature – both in terms of composition and arrangement – and brings a variegated palette of sound colours and profound authentic music of the utmost quality. The configuration of the pieces on the album is reminiscent of a jazz symphony in ten movements, with alternating yet mutually linked moods and themes. In the booklet, Soukup describes the inspirations for the album as follows: “Through the Mirror is the coming true of my long-term dream of creating a project with a large ensemble. I wanted to make use of the spontaneity of the jazz quartet and by means of additional instruments attain a more colourful music and fuller sound. The compositions reflect my visions, ideas and opinions, which have formed on the basis of inspiring conversations, travels and books I’ve read.”"