Joëlle Léandre / Elizabeth Harnik / Zlatko Kaućić: Live In St. Johann

"I was in the house when the house burned down" is a thought sure to happen to many a concert attendee after a performance by legendary French bassist Joëlle Léandre. She is a force of nature, a demanding and uninhibited artist. In her presence, a listener can feel the combustion generated by her performances. The same can be said of Austrian Elisabeth Harnik, twenty years Leandre's junior. In recent years, there has been a small explosion of music from the pianist from solo performances to collaborations with the likes of Ken Vandermark, Steve Swell, Dave Rempis, Mikolaj Trzaska and many others. Then there is Slovenian drummer and contemporary of Leandre, Zlatko Kaućić. His sound can be heard in the Amsterdam scene, Italy, Spain and his home country.

This trio is a natural progression from several previous duo outings. Leandre and Harnik released Tender Music (Trost, 2018), Harnik and Kaučič produced One Foot In The Air (Not Two, 2023), and Leandre and Kaučič can be heard in duo on Beauty/Resistance (Not Two, 2021).

That burning house metaphor is an appropriate image for Live In St. Johann from March 3, 2023. Recorded at the ARTACTS Festival, the spotless sound places the listener front and center in the audience. The concert opens with the trinkle tinkle of Harnik's piano, the clatter of percussion, and Leandre's dynamic bowed double bass. The 17-minute track wastes no energy through hesitation, as the three gel from the onset. As expected, Leandre's bass is the driver throughout the concert, accelerating the affair and providing the impulse for solos by Harnik and Kaučič. Even her wordless vocalizations that accompany her bass are incendiary. Both Harnik and Kaučič's responses are spot on either accenting Leandre or spun off into a new improvising orbit.