Benjamin Koppel – White Buses: Passage to Freedom – Cowbell Music

A timely musical exploration of Danish resistance to antisemitism…

Benjamin Koppel – White Buses: Passage to Freedom – Cowbell Music #88 – CD – 46:23 – ****

(Benjamin Koppel – saxophone; Thana Alexa – vocals; Uri Caine – piano; Scott Colley – bass; Henrik Dam Thomsen – cello; Soren Moller- keyboard; Antonio Sanchez – drums)

Danish jazz saxophonist, Benjamin Koppel, has never been shy about tackling social issues, using jazz and classical motifs. Last year, working with his father, Anders, on their LP, Mulberry Street Symphony, a stunning release, Koppel honored Jacob Riis, a Danish social reformer, who helped expose the awful living conditions of immigrants in New York City in the late 1800s.

In Koppel’s latest release (street date, 11/25/23) he explores the efforts of the Danish government to protect their Jewish citizens from the Nazis in 1943. Using Red Cross white buses, the Danes were able to free 425 Jewish concentration camp survivors near the end of World War II. In addition, over 7000 Jews from Denmark, still in country, were relocated to Sweden.

Using 16 testimonial interviews from ten living concentration camp survivors, Benjamin composed and arranged jazz tracks, with classical overtones provided by solo cellist, (from the Danish National Symphony), Henrik Dam Thomsen. Using an international backing group providing musical “commentary”, the camp survivors re-visit a ghastly and harrowing period in their lives, with following musical interludes after each brief interview on an a specific topic (translated from Danish) , the effect is both haunting and enlightening.

There is both pathos, and expressions of hope and joy. Koppel deftly mixes their experiences in straight ahead. and avant fashion. Vocalist, Thana Alexa, using moans and squeals, adds to the emotion of the survivors. On 33 tracks (“interviews” are less than 2:30, and musical tracks all less than 3:30), there is a rise and fall of hope, detection, and joy. Whether it be dreaming of food, observing planes in the sky, or their welcome back home, listening to their struggles can be deeply felt. The somber memories are musically expressed with respect and often avant/edgy motifs, while the ending “rescues” are given  a happier and swinging jazz feel.

Led by Koppel’s saxophone, Uri Caine’s piano, and most definitely, Thomsen’s cello, listeners are taken on both a history lesson (another answer to Holocaust denialism), as well as a creative musical response to a period of horror. Denmark has a distinct honor among European nations in resistance to the Nazi regime.

Danish saxophonist, Benjamin Koppel, deserves acclaim, as well, for tackling this historical “lesson” in resistance to tyranny with care, love, and creativity.

—Jeff Krow

Benjamin Koppel – White Buses: Passage to Freedom

Tracklist:
Introduction – Testimonial 1
The Devil Under the Skin
Testimonial II
The Woman With Her Violin
Testimonial III

I Was Terrified
Testimonial IV
Dreaming of Food
Testimonial V
Two Birds in a Nest

Testimonial VI
The Planes in the Sky
Testimonial VII
Rumors
Testimonial VIII

Die Danen Raus
Testimonial IX
My Father
Testimonial X
The White Bus

Testimonial XI
The Goodbye
Testimonial XII
Potsdam
Testimonial XIII

The Welcoming (parts 1 & 2)
Testimonial XIV
Awake or Dreaming
Testimonial XV

A Fantastic Miracle
Testimonial XVI
The Golden Carriage

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