On ‘Thimar’, Manfred Eicher’s ECM expands its umbrella
of sound even further with a true east-meets-west. Anouar Brahem, the oud
master, joins seasoned jazz-men John Surman, who here plays bass clarinet as
well as his trademark saxes, and bassist Dave Holland, which instantly will
lure many American purists to cite this as being not jazz (no blues, no swing,
no standards…). Regardless there are distinctive elements of the genre here,
with an abundance of originality and improvisation, both group and solo, on
offer.
In truth though, it’s genuinely difficult to work out
where the composition and arrangement ends, and where the improvisation starts,
such is the skill and subtle spontaneity that each of trio plays with, despite
the frequently complex and varied pieces. ‘Badhra’ opens with Surman’s
beautifully delicate soprano, before Brahem and Holland
While for the most part uncategorizable, some of the
pieces lean more toward the middle-eastern, with Brahem and Holland forming a
strong unity, as Surmans sometimes mystical-sounding horns play over the top,
while others have a distinctly night-time cityscape sound to them. Brahem’s
native Tunisia is referenced enough without totally overwhelming the album, and
each of the trio is able to solo comfortably and meditatively while the other
two lock into some decidedly strong yet different rhythm, with Holland’s
distinctive and richly deep sound perfectly placed everywhere on this album.
It’s remarkable that for three so unusually matched
instruments, that the entire recording manages to remain so good, so welcoming,
and so thoroughly absorbing throughout. Captivating in both a spiritual and
musical sense, there’s a lot going on that is sure to reveal itself over
repeated listens. You can’t put this in a genre, unless you want to use the
catch-all phrase of ‘world’, but it is both beautiful and fresh, with a wide
range and as usual brought out to their fullest by Manfred Eicher’s always
pitch-perfect production.
‘Thimar’ is an impressive, and genuinely three-way,
collaboration that superbly mixes the pieces of the jazz world, classical, and
Arabian all into one melting point, without falling into the easy clichés that
those descriptions might conjure up. Full of care, subtlety and originality,
there is much to enjoy here in both the exotic and lyrical qualities that these
three extraordinary performers create together. This really is a minor gem of
world-fusion and is very possibly Anouar Brahem’s best work so far.
****
No comments:
Post a Comment