That JohnGhost is a sextet, is not mere coincidence. The sextet resides in the somewhatdisregarded twilight, by composers alike, between orchestra and combo. Yet justthat makes for an interesting formula. A choice of one's own accord. To thatdegree, in fact, that this twilight extends into the rehearsal room. Within,the compositions are plunged into the dye-bath, which is the group, to shapethis additional suspense. The result is a contemporary delineation, hard andbinary, to which the widely running melodies form an excellent counterbalance.”

Petite histoire

John Ghost is a band from Ghent (Belgium), concerningthe guitarist-composer Jo De Geest. The band, which was formed in 2010, had notyet left its childhood behind and would already manage to be selected for YoungJazz Talent Ghent, a contest of the Gent Jazz Festival. The seasoned festivalaudience savoured their performance. A series of concerts followed, among whichone at the International Jazz Festival Middelburg, in the Netherlands.

Aftera brief period of consideration, the band got its second wind. Again, they doveinto the rehearsal room, developed their own sound and made their first EP.

No fooling about

An abundance of influences can be detected in themusic of John Ghost: third stream, modal jazz and experimentally oriented rock– to name a few of the principal ones. Big names like John Hollenbeck, KurtRosenwinkel en Esbjörn Svenson Trio are not a long way off. But also SteveReich and Marc Ribot.

Notable,in conclusion, is the well-thought execution of rhythmic patterns ofexpectations. No fooling about: it is a clever way to invite the listener to surrenderto impro and melody.