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Mats Eilertsen Trio & Trio Mediaeval: Memorabilia
ByThe liturgical association is quite obvious. Between instrumental interludes and more song-oriented exercises, prayers ("Kyrie," "Sanctus," "Agnus Dei"), as typically featured within Christian masses, tie the stream of pieces together in a ritualistic way and lend the music its contemplative allure. Not that the reflective and patient interplay between Eilertsen and his trio-mates Harmen Fraanje on piano and Thomas Strønen on drums, who feature on the bassist's recent ECM outing And Then Comes The Night (2019), isn't captivating in its own right. Quiet rumblings and careful crescendos on a pedal point shared between piano and bass, as heard on "Memorabilia I," shake up the call-and-return phrasings on vocal-featuring exhibitions, while "Memorabilia II" fills time and space with a hands-off approach, and finds the trio savoring the utterly transparent sonic properties of the recording to their fullest. When the women's voices enter, the instruments take a step back, but their roles remain on a par with those of the singers. On pieces such as "Soma da du" or "Snøfnuggene" this combination of the two trios creates powerful crescendos which live off of polyphonic vocal treatment within minimal harmonic frames. Eilertsen's last trio outing for ECM demonstrated the bassist's knack for tender melodies over friendly harmonic progressions. His sweet tooth returns throughout Memorabilia and especially so on the lovely "Memorabilia V," whose soft harmonic pace sways the ear to a cradling effect.
As the title suggests, Memorabilia works as a collection of ideas and thoughts from the past that have been bundled and bound together, to form a coherent retrospective. The gracefulness with which each musician interacts with the music's core is especially empathic and gives the nostalgia that envelopes Memorabilia the space it needs to unveil itself completely.
Track Listing
Veni; Stillheten; Memorabilia I; Swedenborg; Kyrie; Hjertet; Memorabilia II; Sanctus; Soma Da Du; Fotografiet; Memorabilia III; Agnus Dei; Minutter; Memorabilia IV; Snøfnuggene; Memorabilia V; Gloria.
Personnel
Mats Eilertsen
bassHarmen Fraanje
pianoThomas Strønen
drumsAnna Maria Friman
vocalsLinn Andrea Fuglseth
vocalsJorunn Lovise Husan
vocalsTrio Mediaeval
band / ensemble / orchestraAlbum information
Title: Memorabilia | Year Released: 2020 | Record Label: NXN Recordings
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