Trio HLK: Anthropometricks

Albums featuring standards are fairly common. Trio HLK start with this approach and then bend and invert it to create their own musical dialect. All seven compositions on Anthropometricks use sections of jazz standards as their base. The trio then put these ingredients through their version of a musical blender to create something unique. As pianist and composer Richard Harrold says "Each piece is new but shards of the original can be glimpsed within." He does mean shards; these are not gentle adaptations of parts of original tunes but a complete process of deconstruction and re-composition.

This Scottish trio is completed by eight-string guitarist Ant Law and drummer Richard Kass. They also enlist vocalist Varijashree Venugopal, cellist Natalie Clein and long-time collaborator, Dame Evelyn Glennie on vibraphone, marimba and sundry percussion. All make significant contributions, expanding the instrumental combinations and possibilities. This album follows on from their debut album, Standard Time (Ubuntu Music, 2018) where some tracks followed a similar process of change.

The album title and opening track were derived from Charlie Parker and Dizzy Gillespie's "Anthropology." It is a dazzling mix of jazz, classical and global sounds. There are tricks aplenty as Venugopal's astonishing southern-Indian wordless vocal mixes with Kass' fluctuating and bewildering time signatures and Harrold's rolling piano. The composition has hints of the Second Viennese School before Law completes the deconstruction as he interrupts his own nimble lines with occasional harsh power chords (see the YouTube below).

British cellist Clein adds rich tone and texture to "Concertinas (for Bill)," often conversing gracefully with Law's guitar before the track moves on into unforeseen paths coloured by Glennie's deft percussion. "Flanagan's Lament" is the only track which does not have guest musicians. Harrold and Law combine as Kass precisely shifts rhythmic surprises. Glennie adds sparkle to both parts of "Apostrophe." The album closes with "Stellar." This builds with formidable rhythms over which Law builds short intense solos complemented by Glennie's marimba.

Trio HLK have developed an intriguing musical character. Their combination of predetermined time changes, synchronised phrases and improvisation is both intriguing and unpredictable. They are also strangely captivating and often challenging. Their evolution is constant, occasionally focusing on a certain melody or groove for only a short time to create a recognisable pattern before moving on to something new. It is flamboyant, intelligent and sometimes visceral. Regardless of the original derivation of the source material, this is a fascinating listen.

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