The first two nights of Hammondwoche at the Bird’s Eye in Basel: LaBox and Florian Arbenz’s Truth

Last night at the first night of Hammondwoche at the Bird’s Eye in Basel, LaBox offered classic organ-trio jazz, with Roland Köppel soaring on Hammond, Marco Figini playing funky guitar solos with rich, bright tone, and Michael Wipf laying down tight and wide-ranging grooves. I had anticipated the band’s sound, so I stood by the bar and danced all through the two sets. Tonight, drummer Florian Arbenz’s Truth, with Arno Kryger on Hammond and Percy Pursglove on flugelhorn, offered a stark contrast with their textures of Hammond chords, drums coloring around the pulse, and long, surprising horn lines. It still made me move, but in my seat and in my head. (Andrew Shields, #111words, 8 June 2023)