Behind the Lens

MUSIC
MUSIC
JAZZ & BLUES
Ihave always been a sucker for contrasting
elements that wind up making more of themselves
than you initially bet they will. You know, the old
1 + 1 = 3 thing, where the recipe contents are
seemingly at odds with each other, but the yield
is epic. Cecil Taylor attacking the upper register of
his piano while Tony Williams taps at that high-hat
in “Morgan’s Motion.” Or Malachi Favors flailing at
his bass as Lester Bowie evokes some sweetiepie
romance on the trumpet during one of the Art
Ensemble’s excursions. Dissonance has its poetic
side, and in the right hands, contrarian clashes
can produce a rich form of consonance—beauty
lurking within the friction.
Food
This Is Not a Miracle
ECM, CD
©Photo by Knut Bry
Food, the ever-shifting Euro
ensemble centering on Norwegian
percussionist Thomas Strønen and
UK saxophonist Iain Ballamy, milks
this tack for manna on its third
ECM album. Joined by Austrian
guitarist Christian Fennesz (who
helped the group calibrate its last
two ECM discs, Quiet Inlet and
Mercurial Balm), the collective sets a
series of pacific maneuvers against
a backdrop of percolating beats
and fuzzy guitar clouds. With each
new turn, Food captures an antsy
eloquence that blends art-music
extravagance with modern pop
pithiness.
“The Concept of Density”
features a galloping drum pattern
effected with brushes, a string of
laconic tenor peels that gives the
music a heartache vibe, and humid
guitar shading that momentarily turns
to gnarled guitar scraping. On paper,
these elements could be strangers
that just met at a bus stop. But by
the time the track subsides, they
feel like family. “Exposed to Frost”
puts that same plaintive horn sound
on a turbulent bedrock of churning
electronic drones and skittish trapset
punctuations. Somehow, it
evokes tranquility.
To call the work jazz might be
fibbing a bit; these pieces aren’t
concocted in real time. Each member
of Food is a skilled improviser, and
together, the trio hit the studio to cut
its initial sketches. (continued)
100 TONE AUDIO NO.75
November 2015 101