Home » Jazz Articles » Album Review » Esche: Der Dichter Spricht

2

Esche: Der Dichter Spricht

By

View read count
Esche: Der Dichter Spricht
A trio of piano, violin and bass seems like it could be limiting in an improvisational context but the German group Esche does just fine with that lineup. They create a bright style of lively chamber music that teems with emotion and romance.

This is not one of those European groups that relies on a lot of free improvisation. All of their music is composed by the group members and has strong melodies or rhythmic ideas. "Om-Har" starts with a pretty but somber theme carried by Laura Schuler on violin and her brother Luzius on piano. Then Lisa Hoppe takes a stately Charlie Haden-like bass solo and the piece evolves into a swirling tango dominated by Laura's leaping violin. Her skittering and jumping also emerges as a spirited presence on other tracks, bringing humanity to the mechanical piano-bass patterns of "Fischer" and the nervous scrapes and tinkles of "Trotz."

"Odyssee" comes off both heavy and light as it alternates passages of harsh, scraping bow work with dancing fragments of melody from the entire trio. "Orkanum" is a short bit of group agitation and "Der Gamle By" features a brooding string melody interlaced with jangling piano. "Slow Bus To China" is another dark, angular melody with intense bowed violin, chiming piano and fat bass all mashed together, gradually picking up speed until it reaches a state of discordant delirium.

Most of this music has a very serious feel, so "Shatterhand" is a surprising contrast. It's a lively rural hoedown that sounds like some of Aaron Copland's Americana-based music. Laura Schuler saws away at her violin like she's at a barn dance while Luzius dances out a piano jig that turns into true syncopated jazz playing and Hoppe thumps along merrily on bass beside him.

The members of Esche work very well together. The violin and piano of the Schuler siblings convey a lot of deep feelings. Their sounds seem to fit together instinctively while Lisa Hoppe's bass provides a solid anchor for their conversations. This trio's music rarely resembles conventional jazz but it is fun and stimulating work nonetheless.

Track Listing

Der Dichter Spricht; Trotz; Fischer; Orkanum; Om-Har; Odyssee; On a Slow Bus to China; Shatterhand; Den Gamle By.

Personnel

Laura Schuler: violin; Lisa Hoppe: double bass; Luzius Schuler: piano.

Album information

Title: Der Dichter Spricht | Year Released: 2018 | Record Label: QFTF

Tags

Comments


PREVIOUS / NEXT




Support All About Jazz

Get the Jazz Near You newsletter All About Jazz has been a pillar of jazz since 1995, championing it as an art form and, more importantly, supporting the musicians who make it. Our enduring commitment has made "AAJ" one of the most culturally important websites of its kind, read by hundreds of thousands of fans, musicians and industry figures every month.

Go Ad Free!

To maintain our platform while developing new means to foster jazz discovery and connectivity, we need your help. You can become a sustaining member for as little as $20 and in return, we'll immediately hide those pesky ads plus provide access to future articles for a full year. This winning combination vastly improves your AAJ experience and allow us to vigorously build on the pioneering work we first started in 1995. So enjoy an ad-free AAJ experience and help us remain a positive beacon for jazz by making a donation today.

More

Tramonto
John Taylor
Ki
Natsuki Tamura / Satoko Fujii
Duality Pt: 02
Dom Franks' Strayhorn
The Sound of Raspberry
Tatsuya Yoshida / Martín Escalante

Popular

Old Home/New Home
The Brian Martin Big Band
My Ideal
Sam Dillon
Ecliptic
Shifa شفاء - Rachel Musson, Pat Thomas, Mark Sanders
Lado B Brazilian Project 2
Catina DeLuna & Otmaro Ruíz

Get more of a good thing!

Our weekly newsletter highlights our top stories, our special offers, and upcoming jazz events near you.

Install All About Jazz

iOS Instructions:

To install this app, follow these steps:

All About Jazz would like to send you notifications

Notifications include timely alerts to content of interest, such as articles, reviews, new features, and more. These can be configured in Settings.