Bobo Stenson Trio

“Indicum”

(ECM Records ECM 2233, Bar Code 279 4575)

Swedish pianist Bobo Stenson has a long association with the ECM record label dating back to the 1970’s when he co-led an influential quartet alongside the celebrated Norwegian saxophonist Jan Garbarek. Stenson has also appeared on records by Don Cherry, Charles Lloyd and Tomasz Stanko and was also a member of the Parish group led by Norwegian drummer Thomas Stronen.

However the core of Stenson’s output has always been his acclaimed trio recordings, the permutating line up having included bassists Arild Andersen and Palle Danielsson and drummers Jon Christensen and the late, great Paul Motian. Stenson’s recordings in this format have evidenced a clear progression and now in his late sixties (he was born in 1944) Stenson is playing better than ever, a late flowering talent whose latter day success evokes comparison with the UK’s own John Taylor. Both have always been hugely talented but are currently at the peak of their powers and are now receiving the acclaim they so richly deserve.

The current edition of Stenson’s trio is arguably his best to date despite the presence of so many great players in its earlier incarnations. Bassist Anders Jormin is a long standing member having worked alongside both Christensen and Motian. An ECM band-leader in his own right he also brings a significant composing presence to the group. Jormin’s current partner in rhythm is drummer Jon Falt who has grown steadily into his role since his introduction to the trio back in 2004. Falt brings a youthful spirit of adventure to the group and although his idiosyncratic style at first seemed a little too busy and showy for the Stenson Trio he has developed into a positive asset. Falt’s colourful playing is one of the highlights of the “Cantando” album released in 2008 and he also makes a huge contribution to this lustrous follow up.

If “Cantando” built on the strengths of the impressive double set “Serenity” ( Jormin, Christensen, 1999) and the single disc “Goodbye” (Jormin, Motian, 2004) then “Indicum” takes things a stage further and introduces a stronger improvisational element that harks back to Stenson’s 70’s output for the label including the long deleted “Underwear”, recorded with Andersen and Christensen way back in 1971. Sadly my vinyl copy went missing long ago but I digress.

Stenson has never been a prolific composer but like one time ECM label mate vibraphonist Gary Burton he has always been a great selector of tunes and a supreme interpreter of other people’s material. Like Burton Stenson habitually chooses interesting pieces to cover and “Indicum” covers a typically diverse range of material including a traditional Norwegian hymn, German and Argentinian revolutionary songs and covers of jazz tunes by Bill Evans and George Russell. The formal interpretations are punctuated by passages of collective improvising that fit superbly into the context of the album and which blur the boundaries between composition and improvisation in a delightful manner that is in keeping with overall lyrical feeling of the record.

The album commences with a tender solo piano version of Bill Evans’ “Your Story” which Stenson dedicates to drummer Paul Motian, who worked with both Evans and Stenson and who sadly passed away in 2012.

Falt’s inventive and colourful percussion introduces “Indikon”, the first of the collectively realised pieces. Stenson improvises in thoughtful, leisurely fashion above Jormin’s deep pulse and Falt’s typically imaginative and exotic drumming. It’s a masterclass in group interaction, you can virtually hear everybody thinking, and holds the attention throughout.

The title track is another collectively improvised piece, this time more freely structured but still richly atmospheric. Jormin is a master with the bow and his evocative arco work is superbly complemented here by Stenson’s sombre chording and Falt’s eerie cymbal scrapes, mallet rumbles and percussion shadings.

The trio give a stately reading to “Ermutigung” by the East German dissident artist Wolf Biermann. Stenson exhibits a sublime lightness of touch at the piano and is well supported by Jormin who delivers a lyrical and dexterous pizzicato solo. Falt’s brush work combines sensitivity and invention throughout.

“Indigo” represents the third collectively improvised piece and begins with the deeply resonant sounds of Jormin’s plucked bass. The slightly sombre atmosphere established by the intro colours the rest of the piece as it unhurriedly unfolds with Stenson establishing the melody and Falt deploying a rich panoply of percussive sounds as he hovers in support.

“December” is Jormin’s first contribution with the pen, a typically lyrical and elegant composition that features Stenson’s elegiac piano, Jormin’s rich bass undertow and the delicate patter of falt’s hand drums interspersed with splashes of cymbal colour. There’s also a bass solo from the composer that combines both pizzicato and arco techniques to present a characteristically broad range of colours and textures. 

The shimmer of Falt’s cymbals ushers in Argentinian composer Ariel Ramirez’s (1921-2010) “La Peregrinacion” (“The Lark”) . Stenson and his colleagues embellish the familiar, folk tinged melody beautifully, their interpretation is suitably airy but Jormin’s solo adds a degree of improvisational content as the trio stretch out before returning to the theme. Stenson’s melodic touch is sublime and Falt’s imaginative drumming superbly nuanced throughout.

George Russell’s “Event VI” from his “Living Time” suite is given a more impressionistic with Falt’s exotic percussion fulfilling a key role, he’s prominent in the mix with Stenson’s piano often underpinning Falt’s beguiling mix of sounds.

Jormin co-arranged the traditional Norwegian hymn “Ave Maria” in conjunction with vocalist Sinikka Langeland who released her own ECM album “The Land Which Is Not” in 2011 (reviewed by Tim Owen for The Jazzmann). The trio’s version is expansive and unhurried with a pizzicato feature for Jormin alongside Stenson’s suitably respectful piano and Falt’s exquisitely detailed percussion.

“Tit er jeg glad” (“Oft I Am Glad”) is cut from similar cloth. Written by the prolific Danish composer Carl Nielsen (1865-1931) the trio’s interpretation is gently uplifting and exhibits the trio’s now trademark telepathy and attention to detail.

Jormin’s second composition “Sol” begins with almost subliminal percussion before the entry of the composer’s rich and grainy arco bass. Later he effects a high, keening tone on a piece that subtly combines the impressionistic with the sublimely lyrical.

The album closes with “Ubi Caritas” by the contemporary Norwegian classical composer Ola Gjeilo (born 1978). Gjeilo originally conceived the piece as a choral work and the trio capture something of the sacred mood in an interpretation that is beguiling in its simplicity. Stenson economic chording is complemented by the warmth of Jormin’s bass, both plucked and bowed, and the delightful nuances and small details of Falt’s percussion (cymbal shimmers, the rustle of bells etc.) It’s perhaps Jormin’s high pitched arco sound that provides the most distinctive element in this wonderfully elegiac performance.

“Indicum” is a worthy addition to the Stenson catalogue and the trio are particularly well served by a typically pristine Manfred Eicher production. Stenson’s lustrous pianism, Jormin’s rich round bass tone and every tiny detail of Falt’s drumming are meticulously captured in a mix that fully captures the trio’s almost telepathic levels of support. It may all be a little bloodless for some, and indeed Stenson’s live shows regularly exhibit a remarkable degree of dynamism, but most listeners will find something to enjoy in the beauty and loveliness of “Indicum”. In their own quiet way the Stenson trio remain one of the greatest exponents of the piano/bass/drums format.     

 

 

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