Customer Reviews

Tuesday Wonderland

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

 

 

This piano-led trio have carved out a space somewhere between the thoughtful European jazz of Keith Jarrett and the atmospheric textures of Sigur Rós or Radiohead.
Their last album sold many thousands copies and they fill the major concert halls in Europe.
This is their 10th album, and the major influence is Bach, most noticeably in the mathematical purity of tracks such as Beggar's Blanket.

From the opening classical piano pattern disrupted by a guitar power chord, "Tuesday Wonderland" avoids the usual melody-improvisation-melody structure beloved of most jazz bands.
It may be too introverted for some, but E.S.T. balance this with expressive solos to make their most accomplished record yet.

Though I don't own every E.S.T. recording, I do own a good number of them so when I compare them I don't understand how any reviewer could rate Tuesday Wonderland at less than at least three stars. What is it the negative reviewers are not hearing that I am hearing?
There is a lot to like here. Fading Maid Preludium opens the album in a stately manner that promises greatness to come. That is followed by the melodic title cut which is sometimes evocative of Bob James and Joe Sample. Then later Brewery of Beggars heats to a furious boil, simmers down, then boils again. Dolores in A Shoestand is a nearly nine-minute workout that could almost be said to be radio friendly. Eighthundred Streets By Feet is a very relaxing, introspective cut followed immediately by the rolling gallop of Goldwrap. The CD closes on a note that mirrors its opening then segues after a long pause into one of the signature "secret" tunes of which the trio seems to be fond.
Tuesday Wonderland gives you well over an hour of inventive and cerebral jazz from Sweden's finest jazz trio. While it is not my favorite E.S.T. recording, there is more than enough good music here to keep me returning to it time and again.

In the beginning it was Sweden, then Europe and now it's the world. The rise and rise of EST has been remarkable in recent years - in the USA they were the first ever European jazz group to feature on the cover of Downbeat magazine, while their intro to Japan's top promoter was on the recommendation of Keith Jarrett. If any one is in any doubt about how original, absorbing and dynamic this band is, then get "Tuesday Wonderland", their tenth album.

From the étude-like opening ("Fading Maid Preludium") that explodes into post Hendrix power-chords to the focused beauty of "Where We Used To Live", this remarkable group is one of the few bands on the current scene that can be truly called sui generis - for evidence of this try the shifting tone colours of the title track.
What is even more remarkable is that Bach's Well Tempered Clavier could inspire such a wide range of moods.
Esbjörn Svensson (pianist), Dan Berglund (bassist) and Magnus Öström (drummer).

My first impression is that this new release is not as instantly enaging as thier first 2 or 3 - I have all. I love these guys and believe they should be heralded for the innovation, originality, energy and melodicism they bring to the piano trio format. Far and away superior to the lame Bad Plus - who Sony deemed fit to surplant E.S.T. as their comtemporary jazz darlings. This CD makes me feel that the formula may be fraying a bit - but the musicianship and style remains. Maybe not their best, but another wonderful addition to their catolog.

Overview:
Tuesday Wonderland takes everything e.s.t. has been doing to the next level. Here they have crafted a complete album with a totally unique mood, texture, and sound that flows beautifully from start to finish. What differentiates album this from other e.s.t. albums is that this is not a collection of great songs, it is a conceptual album. Each song is a crafted composition and fits the overall theme of the album perfectly. It reminds me a great deal on a conceptual level of Pink Floyd's the Wall. While e.s.t. has always been creative with the sounds they employ they've really integrated them well here. Dan Berglund's distorted bass and bowing opens the album and sets the tone. Immediately you are lost in Wonderland. Svensson's use of a piece of paper in the piano strings creates a tinny ghost town effect on several tracks. It is easy to drift off in this surrealistic soundscape. While I love all e.s.t. albums I've heard, this one grows on me with each successive listen, and I think it is the most unique performance they have done.

Song Highlights:

Fading Maid Preludium - This song opens with a haunting piano line. Berglund then comes crashing in with a bomb of a distorted bass bowed line. Immediately you are transported to Wonderland.

Tuesday Wonderland - This is reminds me of "dodge the dodo" from an earlier e.s.t. work. It is instantly accessible, and the most catchy of all the tunes on the album. The song starts with a really snappy intertwined section consisting of a cool piano riff, bass line, and drum line. This song shows off everything great about e.s.t. Perhaps this is e.s.t.'s best song of all time.

The Goldhearted Miner - This song features soft brush strokes and a shuffle beat on the drums. Svensson has a piece of paper in the piano strings which creates a tinny piano sound and conjures up images of an old western saloon piano.

Brewery of Beggars - This song is all about insane bass lines. Both Berglund on the bass and Svensson on the low piano keys are just tearing up. The song is played at an absolutely frenetic pace and has a nice bridge section that features Berglund's bow work.

Tuesday Wonderland is hands down my favorite e.s.t. album. It is a little bit of a departure from previous albums, but I think it is a big step forward.

Tuesday Wonderland is today the last studio album of E.S.T. (there's a Live Double CD from Hamburg, recorded in 2006, released in 2007), the next one CD (Leucocyte) is on the way, but for the E.S.T. leader too late ... Esbjoern Svennson (44) tragicaly died last Month by diving ... In loving memory with the magical touches of heavenly piano ... with feeling, with rythm and energy .. Thank you for the Music, Esbjoern.

Noting that E.S.T. is Esbjörn Svensson on piano, Dan Berglund on bass, and Magnus Öström on drums reveals little about this trio's music. Fittingly, the title "Tuesday Wonderland" does offer clues, suggesting that from an ordinary day (and Tuesday is my least favorite day of the week), one can, and should, find magic, or at least enough uncommon things to rouse the spirit (not necessarily to soothe it though).

And E.S.T. does that on the music here, 11 vignettes that run the gamut from lilting melodies to harsh dissonance, that alternately shock and soothe, sometimes within the boundaries of the same song. I think the trio has pushed away some of the temptations to try to sound too new, too experimental---elements that made the preceding "Viaticum" a lesser album in my opinion---and mined the formulas that have served them best on their other recordings.

The opening track, Fading Maid Preludium, sets one up to expect the worst with it harsh electronics, but that most tracks are generally accessible (though I wish the band would quit monkeying around with those long gaps on their final tracks). On Dolores In A Shoestand, for instance, the trio's music gains energy and merges into a single point of focus, like the intersection of ocean and sky. Even when trekking off into odd territory, E.S.T. is certainly cohesive and entertaining, if not exactly ground-breaking or easy to classify.

I own every domestic Esbjorn Svensson Trio album and this is the first one to disappoint me. With each of their other albums there are songs that are truly unique in composition, sounds and performance. However, this album is missing that innovation. To me, this album sounds like it was made by taking a handful of older, mediocre EST songs, dropping them in a blender and mastering what comes out. It sounds rehashed. The songs also aren't differentiated from each other, so it's not very noticeable when one song ends and another begins.

I'm not sure what E.S.T. was trying for here. Lost are many of the qualities that us fans have come to love and expect from them. Gone are the catchy melodies, replaced by more Noise. Usually, they use noise elements as an interesting background layer that adds interest and mood. Here it seems to dominate and undermine the compositions. If I want to listen to something loud and noisy, I'll listen to someone else. Of course, not every recording can be as good as "Seven Days of Falling", but it would be a shame to see these guys lose us. Growth and evolution is good. This, however, appears to be something else. It's not for me.

E.S.T. is the Esbjorn Svensson Trio, a jazz piano trio that delves into electronica and classical music to make something that goes beyond jazz but does not devolve into the wearisome hysteria of The Bad Plus. E.S.T. seem to be musicians at heart, not showmen, thought quite a show do the they produce on this new recording.

The CD opens with a few seconds of some quiet trio work, then POW! Traditional jazz fans may leave the room right there, but the more adventurous will stick around and enjoy some truly inspired music making. Although some of the sounds are strange, the emotions are familiar and genuine, as exemplified by the third cut, "The Goldhearted Minder," which juxtaposes the clangy sound of what seems to be an old upright piano that you might find in a church basement with a more traditional piano trio sound, with wistful melodies that tug at your heart and linger in your mind.

There are plenty of startling sounds and abrupt mood swings on the recording, but somehow it all hangs together and provides plenty of musical pleasure. Highly recommended to all but the most hidebound of jazz fans.