Soren Bebe: Gratitude

If, in fact, there is a quiet no one hears, it still needs a translator, and that translator can very well be Danish pianist Soren Bebe and that translation is Gratitude, a rootsy triumph of mettle over turmoil. Silence over the trading of coin. David over Goliath.

Cutting to the chase, Gratitude —held together by the emphatic catch and release of bassist Kasper Tagel and drummer Knut Finsrud to Bebe's melodic instigations, be they the waxing moon lustre of "Frostblad;"  the rousing, elegantly titled cha-cha "A Much Simpler Song," or the airy "Throw It Away"—is not only the trio's ninth release since 2007 it may very well be a high water mark.

Although Bebe's intimate spaciousness does allow the ghosts of comparison to do their thing and talk up the usual suspects, namely Tord Gustavsen and the late Esbjorn Svensson, the trio's limber expressiveness on Billy Joel's rock ballad classic "And So It Goes" as well as pianist's own grace abiding "Silent Whisperer," and "Tystrup Sø" may prove said likeness somewhat true, Bebe, Tagel, and Finsrud bring their own immediacy and deep needs for honest communication to the fore and endows a musicality to Gratitude that makes putting the ear phones on worthwhile. Accompanied by an adult beverage and a setting sun.