Home » Jazz Articles » Album Review » GoGo Penguin: Ocean in a Drop

11

GoGo Penguin: Ocean in a Drop

By

Sign in to view read count
GoGo Penguin: Ocean in a Drop
While William Blake saw the world in a grain of sand, and the poet Rumi wrote that each person is not a drop in an ocean but rather the opposite, GoGo Penguin's ever-expanding sonic world hints at similar multitudes yet to be experienced. It rarely sounds like "just" piano, bass and drums in these hands, and the scope of Ocean in a Drop doesn't feel limited by the brevity of its EP length. They hit the ground running and pack an expansive vista into each picturesque piece.

It's no surprise that the cinematic feel comes to the fore more than ever here—the material first grew as a live accompaniment to the experimental film Koyaanisqatsi, comprising a dialogue-free series of landscapes and cityscapes. The trio accompany these sweeping musical motifs with their usual wealth of subtle sonic detail: Nick Blacka plucks and bows his bass to continually changing effect, while small physical touches keep Rob Turner's breakbeat drums constantly shifting in tone and texture.

"Control Shift" is probably the most self-assured heavy hitter the group has produced thus far, kicking off with a downright frantic Blacka dub line before Chris Illingworth's piano joins for a tandem sprint, soon followed by all three careening through a truly devilish rhythmic minefield without missing a step. The crazy bouncing through "Four Corners" isn't far behind either, weaving a gutsy driving motif over which Illingworth's melody lines take off and fly high. The title track dips like the sea's own rolls and swells before the solo piano closer drifts broodingly back down to earth. A relatively small but unmistakable step in the group's continuing evolution, Ocean in a Drop is an exhilarating whirl showing some of GoGo Penguin's smartest writing and wildest scrambling to date.

Track Listing

Time-Lapse City; Control Shift; Four Corners; Ocean in a Drop; Nessus.

Personnel

GoGo Penguin
band / ensemble / orchestra

Album information

Title: Ocean in a Drop | Year Released: 2019 | Record Label: Blue Note Records

Comments

Tags

Concerts

May 5 Sun
May 7 Tue
GOGO PENGUIN
Le Bikini
Ramonville St Agne, France
May 10 Fri
May 12 Sun
GoGo Penguin
Wylam Brewery Tap
Newcastle Upon Tyne, UK
May 13 Mon

For the Love of 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 create 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.

You Can Help
To expand our coverage even further and develop new means to foster jazz discovery and connectivity we need your help. You can become a sustaining member for a modest $20 and in return, we'll immediately hide those pesky ads plus provide access to future articles for a full year. This winning combination will vastly improve 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

What Was Happening
Bobby Wellins Quartet
Laugh Ash
Ches Smith
A New Beat
Ulysses Owens, Jr. and Generation Y

Popular

Eagle's Point
Chris Potter
Light Streams
John Donegan - The Irish Sextet

Get more of a good thing!

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