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3x3: Piano Trios: November 2021
by Geno Thackara
Ayumi Tanaka Trio Subaqueous Silence ECM Records 2021 Ayumi Tanaka isn't kidding with this impressionistic title. The music here isn't very far removed from silence, and its ebbing and drifting has just the formlessness you'd expect from life at the bottom of a sea or lake. Pretty sparse and abstract even by ECM Records standards, it's not so much recognizable music as a piece of aural experimental theater. Simple notes are just ...
read moreOlga Konkova & Jens Thoresen: Old Songs
by Geno Thackara
Olga Konkova and Jens Thoresen seemingly can't sit down for a chat without something beautiful coming out. Each has a mellifluous touch on their instrument, but their eloquent back-and-forth chemistry is the bigger part of what makes their duo recordings special. Following on from the holiday collection December Songs (Losen, 2016), the pair sticks to the same approach of re-shaping their source songs almost beyond recognition, producing another excellent release suitable for late-night quiet moments during any time of year. ...
read moreOlga Konkova and Jens Thoresen: December Songs
by Geno Thackara
It's a Christmas album even a Grinch can love. The title December Songs already hints that this affair is themed around the general season and mood rather than one particular holiday. The format (sparse piano/guitar duets) smoothly follows suit. The song selection includes a few of the same carols that always get overplayed at the end of every year, then mixes in some traditional pieces that won't be very familiar to many outside Scandinavia. In the best spirit of exploration, ...
read moreOlga Konkova & Jens Thoresen: December Songs
by Mark Sullivan
December Songs is a sly title for an album of mostly Christmas music, but it suits the subtle approach taken by the Norwegian duo of pianist Olga Konkova and guitarist Jens Thoresen. The arrangements consistently find fresh approaches to very familiar music, transforming the tunes into something elusive and beautiful. Add in the improvisational element, and the result is an openness rare in holiday music. This is music first: the holiday theme is an organizing principle, not the whole reason ...
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