From Distrito Jazz
Beat Love Oracle is a Belgian jazz quartet led by the versatile composer Frank Nuyts, a man who navigates contemporary music as easily as jazz.
Beat Love Oracle was formed in 2017, and ‘Turning The Table‘ marks their full album debut after previously releasing three performance singles.
The jazz presented by this quartet is a blend of progressive jazz with the music of Frank Zappa and contemporary music.
This quartet serves as the outlet for Frank Nuyts, the soul of this ensemble, as contemporary classical music, in which he has built a remarkable reputation, imposes constraints from which he cannot escape.
But far from understanding this duality as a kind of rupture, Nuyts sees it as continuity: “there is not much difference between those two things [classical music and jazz], at least I don’t think so. I use the same mind, the same heart, and the same audacity. When I compose ‘classical’ pieces, I put myself in a certain position and let myself be guided by the greats, while rock gives me other freedoms,” says the keyboardist and marimbist of this band.
To understand the music of Beat Love Oracle, you should pay attention to some interesting statements by Frank Nuyts. He says, “When you compose for a rock band, it’s advisable not to show too much intelligence. I’m not saying you should come across as dumb, but there are things that, no matter how imaginative they may be, don’t work in certain scenarios. You don’t drink champagne while skydiving, even though it can be quite an experience.” There’s that.
In any case, if you love the music of Frank Zappa and the most open-minded and unabashed version of jazz, then ‘Turning The Table’ by Beat Love Oracle is definitely worth considering.
Amen.
