Theo Jörgensmann - clarinet
Marcin Oleś - double bass
Bartłomiej Oleś - drums
Album's title: "On The Tour With Theo"
Label: Audio Cave (2026)
Review author: Viačeslavas Gliožeris
Polish Jazz Editor's Choice
Theo Jörgensmann, one of the most significant (and rare) European avant-garde jazz clarinet players, was born in Bottrop, a town in the Ruhr, the most industrial part of West Germany, to a mother from East Prussia. He was trained as a chemical technician and took private clarinet lessons. In the early seventies, he often played amplified clarinet in rock bands, since there was no jazz scene in the Ruhr at the time.
Later, he joined the avant-garde jazz scene, playing with John Carter, Gianluigi Trovesi, Barre Phillips, among many others. From the early eighties, Theo taught clarinet at the University of Duisburg (the least attractive German city I ever visited; I hope it was better in the late 80s). In 1997, Theo moved to Brüel, a tiny town (population 2600) near the Baltic coast in Mecklenburg–Vorpommern, East Germany, where he stayed until he died in 2025. Based in Brüel, Theo played actively (and occasionally recorded) with many German and international artists. From the start of the New Millennium, he collaborated regularly with the Oleś brothers.
Between 2003 and 2016, Theo and the Oleś brothers released three studio and two live albums as a trio, plus a collaborative album with German vibraphonist Christopher Dell (as a quartet). Both live recordings come from the trio's 2006 Polish tour. Just released, “On The Tour With Theo” was recorded during the trio's 2013 Polish tour and is probably the trio's latest recording to date. Originally, the 2013 tour was planned as support for the release of the trio's “Transgression” album, recorded still in 2010 for Swiss Hat Hut Records but never released by them. Fortunately, the recorded studio material has been released (in 2016 only) by Polish label Fundacja Słuchaj!.
Recorded live in Wrocław in January 2013, “On The Tour With Theo” is an excellent addition to the already documented collective's history. The recording sounds crystal clear, with excellent dynamics and beautifully balanced. All compositions are the trio members' originals. Theo plays soulful tunes on his usual vibrato-less “chamber” clarinet (which recalls Steve Lacy’s soprano sax on many early albums) and combines it with Klezmer/Balkan inserts. Theo's music is rooted in a bop tradition, which frames even bravest improvisations well, in a similar way to Lacy’s. The communication between the musicians is excellent, with enough space for each solo. The gig's audience is heard regularly; their applause and supportive screams add a lot of life.
Oleś brothers’ rhythm section doesn't push the music flow too much. Instead, they provide a muscular groove and the music sounds very physical. Of the eleven studio album compositions, only eight are presented on this live release, most probably simply because of the physical time limitations (the live compositions' versions last obviously longer). All album sounds delicious in an “old school” avant-garde album fashion.
Theo Jörgensmann passed away on October 6, 2025. “On The Tour With Theo”, coming from the Oleś brothers' archives, is one great celebration of his memory.
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