Lars Danielsson / Verneri Pohjola / John Parricelli

“Trio”

(ACT Music + Vision ACT 8000-2)

Lars Danielsson – double bass, cello, Verneri Pohjola – trumpet, John Parricelli – guitar

“Trio” is the second album in ACT’s Edition Palmer series, a collaboration between the German record label and the Bordeaux wine estate Château Palmer.

ACT invites musicians to record in a wood panelled salon at the winery, which is situated in the heart of the French countryside at a secluded location in the Bordeaux wine region. The recordings are made with the musicians playing together in the same room, with minimum recourse to modern studio technology.

The first fruits of the ACT / Château Palmer project was a duo album by the celebrated German pianists Michael Wollny and Joachim Kuhn, both artists closely associated with the ACT label.

Following “Duo” comes “Trio”, another recording featuring artists with long histories with ACT.

Swedish bassist, composer and bandleader Lars Danielsson has recorded thirteen previous albums for the label as a leader and has appeared on numerous other recordings as a co-leader or as a sideman. Other ACT artists he has worked with include Caecilie Norby, guitarist Ulf Wakenius, pianist Jan Lundgren and trombonist Nils Landgren.

The Jazzmann has long been an admirer of Danielsson’s music and two of his albums, “Tarantella” (2009) and “Liberetto” (2012) are reviewed elsewhere on this site. The “Liberetto” recording featured the British guitarist John Parricelli and was the first of a series of albums released under the Liberetto band name, with Parricelli a constant in the group.

Also reviewed on these web pages is a 2019 live performance by the Liberetto band at Wigmore Hall that formed part of that year’s EFG London Jazz Festival.

When Danielsson was approached by ACT to lead the second project in the Château Palmer series he immediately recruited his old ally Parricelli with Danielsson explaining;
“We’ve known each other for a long time. I feel safe with him.”

The Finnish trumpeter, composer and bandleader Verneri Pohjola has also enjoyed a long association with ACT and it was at the label’s suggestion that Pohjola became the third member of the “Trio” project.

The Jazzmann has also reviewed a number of Pohjola’s albums as a leader, namely “Aurora” (2011),  “Ancient History” (2012), “Bullhorn” (2015) and “Pekka” (2017), the latter a homage to the music of his late father, bassist, keyboard player and composer Pekka Pohjola, a true giant of Finnish music. Also covered is a live performance by Verneri Pohjola and his quartet at the 2013 EFG London Jazz Festival.

In a drummer-less group it’s perhaps not surprising to find that the music has something of a ‘chamber jazz’ quality. The majority of the twelve pieces are written by Danielsson but Parricelli and Pohjola were also invited to bring one tune each to the sessions. The programme also includes one collective improvisation plus three well chosen covers,  these selected from a wide variety of musical sources.

Danielsson prepared a series of melodic sketches for the project, writing at the guitar rather than at the piano as he normally would. “I found myself drawn to the ‘song’ format”, he explains. The resultant music focuses on melody and brevity, with none of the twelve tracks exceeding four and a half minutes in length.

“There’s a real belief here that beauty can come from simplicity” says Danielsson and the pieces were recorded without recourse to sheet music. “This helped us maintain a natural collective flow, a common momentum”, Danielsson explains.

He continues;
“The compositions generate their own dynamics. I didn’t need to give Verneri or John any instructions. I preferred that everyone felt free within the proposed framework”.

The album opens with Danielsson’s “Le Calme au Château”, a tune presumably written specifically for this project. In this instrumental format his bass is important as a melodic as well as a rhythmic component and this piece features a short melodic solo from him. The music is paced by the gentle strumming of Parricelli’s guitar and Pohjola’s fragile trumpet tone is almost flute like at times. The final part of the tune sees an increase in pace as the trio break into some kind of dance, a gavotte perhaps?, that conjures up images of the Château’s past.

Also written by Danielsson “Cattusella” brings Parricelli’s guitar to the fore during an introductory dialogue with the leader’s bass. Pohjola plays a brief trumpet melody before handing over to the leader for a concise double bass solo. Pohjola then returns to explore the melody more fully, underpinned by the sounds of bass and guitar. The music has something of a Middle Eastern / North African quality and Parricelli’s guitar sounds almost oud like at times.

“Morgonpsalm” continues the trio’s serene and unhurried progress and commences with a short passage of unaccompanied double bass. Guitar and breathy trumpet are added before the leader undertakes another brief double bass solo.

As its title might suggest “Playing With The Groove” is the most uptempo piece thus far with a greater emphasis on rhythm and a harder edged sound from both bass and guitar. Pohjola plays muted trumpet, but there’s still an increased urgency about his playing. Danielsson features both with and without the bow and takes a brief pizzicato solo.

The first outside item is “La Chanson d’Helene”, written by the French film composer Philippe Sarde. This features Danielsson playing cello and the music exhibits a suitably melancholic quality in an arrangement paced by Parricelli’s cleanly picked guitar lines. Pohjola’s trumpet playing exudes a delicate fragility and the whole piece represents an exquisite trio performance.

Danielsson’s “L’Epoque” draws inspiration from Claude Debussy’s “Syrinx for Solo Flute”. The leader is featured both with and without the bow and the music has a sombre quality about it as classical and Levantine influences intertwine.

“Gold in Them Hills”, a tune by the Canadian singer, guitarist and songwriter Ron Sexsmith, was introduced to the trio by Parricelli. He and Danielsson liaised closely when selecting the outside material and this piece features a truly gorgeous melody. Pohjola’s trumpet again exhibits a flute like quality while Parricelli’s subtle deployment of guitar effects is vaguely reminiscent of Bill Frisell.

Jointly credited to Danielsson / Parricelli / Pohjola the spontaneous “Improvisado” again features the judicious deployment of FX during the course an improvised performance that fits superbly into the overall aesthetic of the album. Even in this context the focus remains firmly on melody with Danielsson and Pohjola both contributing gorgeous melody lines plucked out of the ether, these underpinned by Parricelli’s ambient guitar soundscapes.

A cover of Duke Ellington’s “Mood Indigo” draws directly from the established jazz tradition. A slowed down arrangement is paced by Parricelli’s relaxed guitar chording and Danielsson’s shadowing bass line. Pohjola’s playing of the famous melody is similarly laid back and conversational. At a little over two minutes in length the emphasis is very much on brevity, the trio treat the melody with suitable adoration, but there’s no embellishment or individual soloing. “We didn’t need everyone to have a solo on every track, but rather to concentrate on the essence of the melody”, explains Danielsson.

The bassist’s own “Etude Bleue” is only slightly longer and exhibits similar qualities. Described by its composer as “a guitar ostinato with a blue feeling” the piece is again paced by Parricelli’s guitar and features Danielsson on cello, his bowed melody lines dovetailing with those of Pohjola on trumpet.

The compositional contributions of Parricelli and Pohjola are saved until last. Parricelli’s “Lacour” draws inspiration from the music of Oliver Messiaen and brings the composer’s guitar to the fore with an elegant, flamenco tinged solo underpinned by Danielsson’s deep, rich bass undertow and complemented by Pohjola’s mellifluous trumpet counter melodies. Danielsson is also featured on cello, his tone on this instrument also rich and rounded.

The album closes with Pohjola’s “Peu D’Amor”, a tune with a mellow folk like melody that features the composer’s soft, breathy flute like trumpet and incorporates an exquisite passage of unaccompanied double bass from leader Danielsson.

Relaxed and intimate “Trio” is an album that speaks quietly, but eloquently. This is a remarkably well balanced trio with the younger Pohjola fitting in seamlessly with the long established pairing of Danielsson and Parricelli.

As well as being a hugely accomplished bassist Danielsson is also a skilled composer with an enviable gift for melody, a quality that has distinguished his previous albums and which has helped to make him hugely popular with audiences. Pohjola’s distinctive trumpet voice is the perfect match for this project and such is the quality of the trio’s rapport that one suspects that this international triumvirate might become more than just a one off alliance. Let’s hope so.

 

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