Customer Reviews

Being There (Ocrd)

5 star:		(9)
4 star:		(3)
3 star:		(2)
2 star:		(0)
1 star:		(0)

 

 

The one thing Tord Gustavsen's jazz trio has in common with novelist Haruki Murakami is their ability to create dreamlike landscape through their own creativity media. The difference, though, is that in the process of the creation, Murakami will use as many as possible details to blend reality and dreamscape; whereas in the case of Tord Gustavsen Trio, we are only provided with the basic framework for slow and very often restrained melodies, in which nothing is developed into complexity rather than merely the feeling per se.

Nonetheless, this is not to say that their music is lackluster. The trio displayed in their previous albums Changing Places and the Ground, their abilities to compose such beautiful yet not abstract jazz in a discipline which Gustavsen puts, "inspired by a love of spaces". In jazz, sometimes playing a riff in between notes might be easy, but leaving it blank takes up imagination. Tord Gustavsen Trio definitely has this imagination.

Releasing their third album in five years, Being There, as part of a trilogy, the trio has taken their restraint way of utterance to a new territory. When you start listening to the album, the sense of déjà vu will dominate you even if you have never heard of their previous albums. Yet as the music goes on, it will be clear to even long-time listeners that you are not in a familiar place at all. Tunes like Blessed Feet (a Jarrett-like funky tune) and Where We Went (an up-tempo Spanish dance) sing a more assertive but not aggressive kind of lyrics, while the music is still kept as simple and uncanny as it possibly can. The way trio instruments are approached, especially by drummer Jarle Vespestrad, whose plays are being felt rather than heard for most of the time, meshes delicate whispers altogether in modest tempi and continuous rubato. This un-trio-like instrumental integration makes the music feel like dream flows in a constantly changing vista, which finally resolves back to the same place where it started when the album ends with the peaceful tune Wide Open.

All About Jazz reviewer John Kelman put the trio's distinctive character beautifully: "As silence can sometimes speak as loudly as thunder, and insofar as careful elaboration of melody can be just as compelling as more vivid expansion, Gustavsen's trio makes a clear case for the elusive power of restraint." Gustavsen phrases it romantically, that his music is "about loving every note". It is this very tendency of playing what you like, rather than what you ought to play between passages, together with the elaborated yet elegant lyrics of the tunes, that creates this unique aesthetic and the kind of feeling you will not have very often in reality, but in dreams.

"Being There" somehow manages to take the quiet rapture of the trio's previous album (The Ground) to a new level.

There are beautiful slow pieces that gradually unfold with paradoxically crystalline warmth (At Home, Draw Near, Sani, Still There), an intriguing angular piece (Karmosin) and three up-tempo numbers - the funky Blessed Feet, the Spanish-tinged Where We Went and my favourite, Vicar Street. Half of the track is a tense, urgent build-up that then resolves into a gorgeous yearning theme.

I've seen some great drummers and percussionists in my time (e.g. Airto Moreira, Mike Shrieve of Santana, Zakir Hussein) and the trio's Jarle Vesperstad is up there with the best, but in his own distinctive way. In his hands a standard drum kit becomes a real instrument.

What I love about the Tord Gustavsen Trio is that they show masterfully how improvised music can be melodically accessible without being schmaltzy and technically satisfying without degenerating into ego-tripping clever-clever stuff. It takes outstanding musicians to play such apparently simple music.

This is another album from the trio that can appeal to people who like it "easy on the ear", but will richly reward more discerning music lovers.

A bit like warm sun on a tropical island, Tord Gustavssen's music has the effect of purveying instant calm & contentment. Allow yourself NO distractions (headphones are perfect) & you will be transported into another space where anything & nothing is probable (another reviewer's "Dreamlike Adagio" title says it all!). The playing is at once masterful & spare, understated & yet quietly intense. Another bonus is it's 100% fully acoustic (ie. doesn't use reverb or other "tricks" of some jazz trios) & is totally relaxed & unhurried in its approach. As the first 3 tracks are immediate standouts, all you need do is have a quick listen to at least one of them & only the most hardened heavy-metal type audiophiles could fail to be moved. Even better, each track has its own distinct characteristics so there's no "heard this before" factor. For example, after you've listened to any or all of the first 3 tracks, skip forward to the attention grabbing intro to "Where we went". If I did have a minor criticism it would be that tracks 5 through 8 feature some slightly "heavy handed" chords & are therefore a little less subtle than the often sublime music that precedes & follows them. But overall, delightful stuff & worthy of 5 stars!

Fans of this trios first two ECM releases will know pretty much what to expect from this new release: introspective, lyrical playing by Tord Gustavsen on piano, Harald Johnson on bass, and Jarle Vespestad on drums. However, there are some surprises here. The second cut, "Vicar Street," turns up both the tempo and the energy level, and the fourth cut, "Blessed Feet," is a swinging romp that demonstrates these Swedes are not without soul. Not quite gritty, but definitely a bit funky.

Although at first I did not find this new release quite as beguiling as their previous release, The Ground, I still found it quite enjoyable. The more I listen to it, in fact, the more I like it.

One of the best collections of what I'd call modern "old school." Reminds me of my days listening to the "new" Brubeck album I just got on my hi-fi. But, with a clean modern sound that is all their own.

I love what these guys do. I remember using words like "dreamy", "spacey", "uncluttered" and "beautiful" to describe Gustaven's piano playing when I reviewed the trio's 2004 release The Ground some time ago, and all of those words could equally be applied here. Manfred Eicher reprises his role as producer and in many ways this album could be described as more of the same. I'm not complaining though. I feel this is a good thing because while the calming & emotionally healing quality of the trio's music remains intact, these compositions are all fresh, new, very original and very individual. I just love to put this kind of music on, sit back and drift away.

Two songs on this album did make me sit up from my reverie though. The gospel-flavoured "Blessed Feet" is one, and as soon as I heard the unusually funky drum beat intro, I knew it was going to be something different. The other is "Karmosin", the only song not written by Gustavsen (it was written by drummer Jarle Vespestad), and it's a beautifully abstract and idiosyncratically arranged song. It definitely stands out.

But all 13 songs are originals and as that's always something special in itself. I could go on to try and use fancy words to describe the drummer's kicks, taps and touches or double-bassist Harold Johnsen's fluidity and lyricism but a: I'm really not that clever and b: even if I were, this is a review of a listening experience and not a thesis for a music degree. (Message!)

All in all, I would describe the album as a collection of aural pleasures and that's about the best I can do. These dudes are a flawless jazz trio and this CD is another great buy. ECM have gone and done it again.

Tord is a very talented pianist. This album is perhaps one of the best demonstrations of his talent as a composer and performer. The tracks are mostly downtempo lounge jazz, but there is a very palatable nocturnal feel that I haven't found anywhere else. I think it's what every jazz pianist wishes they could invoke when they play softer music. The more upbeat pieces feature some interesting improvisations, with good use of melodic and harmonic minor modes as well as some atonal playing. The highlight for me is the beautiful theme in Karmossin.

The sound of this album is phenomenal. Clean, rich sound on the drums. Prominent, full bass (perhaps too prominent). The stereo image of the piano is subdued compared to some other albums I've heard, but they dynamics do it for me. Tord's subtle use of sustain and attack lend the music a very textural quality that makes the album worth owning on that regard alone. The notes are like smoke, or liquid. He never carelessly plays the music every keystroke is the perfect realization of what the sound should be. The wonderful effect of the control with which he phrases his playing, combined with the interesting chords and voicings is truly beautiful to listen to.

As an album, not every piece is stellar. It is quite long, and I am impressed that they managed to put so much together when some of the songs are so rich.

Tord Gustavson is a very spoecial composer of European jazz lineage. Not your action prone dynamic American style jazz at all. He takes you to your deeper side, the world of dreams and meditation. This is one of his finest.

I used to buy a lot of new age music but I tired of the repetitiveness and predictability. I started looking more toward jazz for those lazy evenings at home. I'm not an expert on Jazz but this CD has the kind of expansiveness that can make a room feel twice its size or add a cozy backdrop to dinner with a good glass of wine and someone special. Really nice smooth progressions with just enough dynamics to intrude without overwhelming.

This is a very pretty disc. Too pretty in places. I am not surprised that it is apparently a big seller, though I bought it essentially ignorant of any hype, on spec. I didn't want to give it three stars, but four is slightly generous.

My problem with it is the suspicion of up-market easy listening that occasionally appears in the form of the sorts of easy modulations that would not be out of place in a chart pop-song or a 50's 'lounge classic', and which make me suddenly blink. There are not a lot of these but there are definitely slightly too many.