Etienne Renard

Kirke Karja / Étienne Renard / Ludwig Wandinger: Caught In My Own Trap

by John Sharpe
April 19, 2024

Estonian composer Arvo Pärt developed a style he termed tintinnabulation, because of its resemblance to pealing bells. While pianist Kirke Karja doesn't use the same technique as her esteemed countryman, the sustained resonances of her playing on “Caught In My Own Trap “often suggests trouble in the belfry. That is certainly the case on “Take My Tender Heart," the first number on the wonderful album by the cosmopolitan trio of Karja, French bassist Étienne Renard and German drummer Ludwig Wandinger. ...