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Christof Irniger Trio: Gowanus Canal
ByDisparate tonalities and a largely, measured gait loom as the trio's hallmark. Irniger often takes his time from a thematic development standpoint and focuses on delivering animated storylines. With moody passages, splintered progressions and subtle hues, the musicians do render some unexpected breakouts. For example, Ravitz unleashes unwieldy patterns during the opener "Gowanus Canal," where the band alternates fractured flows with moments of temperance and a few false endings. Indeed, it's a cunning piece; however, they bump it up on "Airplane Mode" via a crisp and oscillating sequence of outbreaks, enlivened by shifting dynamics. Moreover, Irniger's soft sax lines transform into several choruses of fluidly exercised runs within the scope of a rather modest primary melody.
The artists switch between contemplative plot formation and linear trajectories along with their propensity for generating pliant rhythmic episodes. The music breathes as either Irniger or Bossard's compositions are chock full of sentiment and warmth amid a surprising amount of stark dissimilarities. They can be poignant or intertwine buoyancy into the schema. For example, "Black Pearl" is a piece that starts with rumbling drums but diminishes into a near whisper during the bridge, paralleling notions of lament, yet the rhythm section picks up the pieces and launch an off-kilter Afro-Cuban vamp leading to the finale. Nonetheless, the program is a study in transversely opposed contrasts, supplementing a set built on dense compositional outlines, marked by the musicians' persuasive interactions and razor-sharp focus. There's a lot going on under the covers, to say the least.
Track Listing
Gowanus Canal; Airplane Mode; Schattenspiel; Hello Africa (for Luca); Black Pearl; Kanon; Burnout; The Slope (Part 1); M.
Personnel
Christoph Irniger: tenor saxophone, bass clarinet; Raffaele Bossard: bass; Ziv Ravitz: drums.
Album information
Title: Gowanus Canal | Year Released: 2013 | Record Label: Intakt Records
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