Latest Reviews
Lars Boutrup´s Music For Keyboards world wide reviews page.
Tempiduri: The Great Beyond – Review (IT)
Italy – The Great Beyond
“The Great Beyond” è il nuovo lavoro di Lars Boutrup valente tastierista danese che con questo disco giunge al ragguardevole traguardo dei quattro lavori.Il fatto poi che Lars Boutrup faccia musica strumentale la cosa è assolutamente degna di nota perché di questi tempi è difficile trovare artisti del genere; ma è ancor più difficile trovare qualcuno che sia disposto a perdere del tempo per ascoltare una musica di siffatto genere.
Il nostro è un musicista dallo stampo classico che si rivolge ad un pubblico adulto; viste anche le sue influenze che vanno da Keith Emerson a Jon Lord. Ma non solo,infatti ascoltando il disco […]
Progression: Small as a Ball – Review (US)
USA – Small as a Ball
When you call your project “Music for Keyboards” you’re telling the world what you’re about. No need for anyone to expect blazing guitar solos. Such a name is also likely to call up the memories of the prominent keyboard players in rock history: Keith Emerson, Rick Wakeman, and so on.
In the case of Lars Boutrup, Emerson and Wakeman are the two most obvious referents. In some ways, Small as a Ball brings to mind a more aggressive take on something like The Six Wives of Henry VIII, with some flavor from Ars Nova’s Transi or Goddess of Darkness. While some of it is keys-to-the-wall sympho, there are some moments […]
Calles Rock Corner: Small as a Ball – Review (DK)
Denmark – Small as a Ball
Lars Boutrup var forholdsvis ukendt for mig indtil jeg læste hvilke bands han har spillet i. Her kan jeg bl.a. nævne Simcess, Evil Masquerade, Supernova og Sonic Tool Box (som jeg anmeldte her på siden sidste år). Som en lille ekstra bonus info kan det nævnes at Boutrup har komponeret musik til over 200 stumfilm i Danmark og Sverige. Nu er han ude med sit tredje album under navnet Lars Boutrup’s Music For Keyboards. Udover Lars på keyboard, organ og synthesizers, så består bandet af Frederik Sunesen på trommer og Niels W. Knudsen på bas. Det nye album har fået titlen Small As A Ball.
Albummet består af 8 […]
DPRP: Small as a Ball – Review (NL)
The Netherlands – Small as a Ball
Lars Boutrup is clearly a busy lad. In addition to supplying keyboards for other artists, and collaborating on projects such as Sonic Tool Box, Boutrup has just released his third album under the Lars Boutrup’s Music For Keyboards band name. The first eponymous album came out in 2005, although Boutrup has been active as a musician since 1979. He is, for the second straight release, joined by drummer Fredrik Sunesen and bass player Niels W. Knudsen.
While it might not be the catchiest of monikers – it would be a bugger on a festival poster – he’s obviously hoping that this upbeat music strikes more than […]
Arlequins: Small as a Ball – Review (IT)
Italy – Small as a Ball
Ritorna in piena forma il simpatico tastierista danese Lars Boutrup con il suo terzo cd di progressive rock strumentale e sinfonico, con una formazione classica alla EL&P, oltre al fido amico e bravo batterista Fredrik Sunesen ritroviamo infatti Niels W. Knudsen al basso, ed ambizioni compositive che vanno un pochino più in là degli assalti sinfonici a noi tanto cari, anche se talvolta come guilty pleasures un po’ imbarazzanti, perché “Small As A Ball” inizia proprio nella maniera più classica e vintage possibile, Hammond in evidenza e potenza bombastica che ci fa pensare alle epiche scorribande sinfoniche di Gerard, Motoi Sakuraba oppure Pär Lindh: l’impronta live dell’iniziale […]
The Progression Rock: Small as a Ball – Review (CA)
Canada – Small as a Ball
This is the third instrumental progressive rock album for Boutrup and by my estimation is a much rockier-prog affair that his previous release which emphasized his symphonic side.
These eight compositions, roughly forty-nine minutes of music, feature mostly Hammond organ or other keyboard driven tunes that put the “rock” in Progressive Rock. The music hearkens back to artists like Emerson Lake and Palmer or even other trios like Trace where the organ tends to take centre stage.
It’s quite amazing what musical gymnastics the threesome of bass, drums and keyboards can get up to. Most of these selections are in the six or seven minute range offering plenty of […]
BetreutesProggen.de: Small as a Ball – Review (DE)
Germany – Small as a Ball
Lars Boutrup ist Däne. Und diese lügen ja bekanntlich nicht. Also darf man den Zusatz im Namen des Künstlers durchaus für bare Münze nehmen. Ja, dies ist Musik für Keyboards, beziehungsweise Musik für Keyboard-Fans. Boutrup bedient eine Vielzahl von Tasteninstrumenten, wobei gerade die Orgel eine sehr wichtige Rolle spielt. Bei „Small As A Ball“ handelt es sich bereits um das dritte Album unter diesem Namen, und er macht im Prinzip im Stile des Vorgängers „The Symphonic Dream“ weiter. Das Album enthält insgesamt acht Songs, deren Spielzeiten meist um die sechs bis sieben Minuten liegen und die typischen symphonischen Keyboard-Prog bieten, der auch mal von den Siebzigern beeinflusst klingt. […]