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Toldam / Riedel / Berg / Wiklund / Christensen: Tak for dit brev
ByUsed here in various configurations, Toldam's partnersbassists Georg Riedel and Anders Christensen, cornetist Tobias Wiklund, and bass clarinetist Nils Bergmesh wonderfully in support of Toldam's simple melodic figures. But the music is anything but simple, as it leaves room for Toldam's trademark appreciation of timbre and texture to surface. Berg's role is pivotal, as the recording captures his deep, earthy tone perfectly; his jaunty contributions to the waltz-like "Nu Sejler Vi" give the track its joyful buoyancy. Elsewhere his plaintive, lonesome lament brings somber color to the pensive "Måneløb." And while all five musicians do not often appear together here, they do on the opener, "Mor," and it is a transfixing moment, with the two basses playing complementary roles (one arco, the other a spartan pizzicato) and Berg conjoined with Toldam, who opens the cut on clarinet before transitioning to piano, thereby making room for Wiklund to emerge potently as the second horn.
The pianist's fluidity and melodic sensibility on "Opdrift" give it the feel of a Keith Jarrett piece, while "Godmorgen træ" (again with Toldam on clarinet) evinces an austere tenderness which effaces any concern with virtuosity and simply allows the listener to succumb to the piece's lyrical enchantments. What gives the album its unifying vision is Toldam's sensitivity to nuance and restraint, letting the music, rather than the performers, take center stage. And his compositions have the richness and depth to warrant such an approach.
Track Listing
Mor; Nu Sejler VI; Måneløb; Luft; Et Postkort; Opdrift; Den Blå Stol; Albert´s Tic Tac; Godmorgen træ; Gå Gå Gå; Dansk Kulturarv; To Virkeligheder.
Personnel
Tobias Wiklund
cornetNils Berg
clarinet, bassSimon Toldam
pianoGeorg Riedel
bass, acousticAnders Christensen
bass, acousticAdditional Instrumentation
Simon Toldam: clarinet.
Album information
Title: Tak for dit brev | Year Released: 2021 | Record Label: ILK Music