Petra Onderuf Quartet - 2025 - An Odd Time of Day

(65:48; Kaipati Records)




















Track list:
1. Cremm 6:53
2. Tanec 6:47
3. Dete 7:16
4. Opening 0:38
5. Resemblance 6:05
6. Julia's Sunset 8:48
7. Next Chapter 7:10
8. Time of Day 3:46
9. Eleven 6:22
10. Waiting for M.K. 5:36
11. Positive 6:27

Line-up:
Petra Onderuf - violin
Rok Zalokar - piano
Luka Dobnikar - bass
Aleš Zorec - drums
with:
Jure Pukl - saxophone
Gašper Selko - trumpet


Slovakian artist Petra Onderuf is an established name in jazz circles, both with her band Wild Strings Trio and as a contributor to the works of other artists on their recordings and presumably also in a live setting. This year she released her first solo album, "An Odd Time of Day", through the Slovenian label Kaipati Records.

Instrumental jazz is the landscape explored on this album, and while my knowledge about jazz is on the limited side of matters my impression is that this is more of a traditional production in many ways. Moods, atmospheres, flow and melodies have the main focus throughout, where flow and momentum comes across as being made the top priorities.

Many of these compositions will ebb and flow a bit, from a more careful and searching opening to an established groove, between minimalist phases and more elaborate sequences, and occasionally between a more dramatic and borderline theatrical expression to one where flow and momentum takes the centre stage.

Onderuf's violin is obviously one of the instruments that does command a leading presence here, and those with a fancy for the violin as a lead instrument will find a lot to enjoy here. But Onderuf will gladly both combine with the piano as well as give the tangents a number of fine and tasteful wandering lead roles throughout as well, to the point that the album feel rater balanced in that respect. Much the same goes for the compositions where the saxophone and the trumpet has been given roles to play, albeit with a greater amount of sections where these instruments combine with the violin and the piano in different manner rather than merely switching the lead instrument role about.

While a lot revolve around what I'd describe as a more traditional sounding variety of jazz here, there is a little bit of a folk music influx to these creations too. Not always that overt and not often in elongated sections, but the folk and world music details that do appear expands the boundaries of the landscapes explored here in a most pleasing manner. That some of the songs gave me a little bit of a gypsy association probably merits a mention in this specific context too.

If you tend to enjoy a well produced, well balanced and accessible variety of instrumental jazz that focus on atmosphere, flow and melody, and you generally enjoy the violin as a lead instrument in such a setting, this album should give you plenty of joy. Especially if you also enjoy the lead instrument roles being switched around and combined, and that you find it intriguing when folk and world music elements are used to expand the boundaries of a more traditional and subtly expressive variety of instrumental jazz of this kind.

Olav M. Björnsen, January 2025

Links:
https://petraonderuf.wordpress.com/

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