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Jakob Bro: Time
ByOf all the projects in which Bro is involved, his recordings as a leader hold a special place. In true democratic fashion, the guitarist seems to bring out the best in his fellow players. Thus, Balladeering, his magnum opus from 2009, brought out a seasoned beauty in the playing of masterful saxophonist Lee Konitz, whose fragile tone poems on that album surpass the altoist's endeavors on the high profile Live at Birdland (ECM, 2011).
Sensing there was special chemistry between them, Konitz and Bro team up once again on Time along with guitarist Bill Frisell, who also played on Balladeering, and bassist Thomas Morgan.
Together they create an intimate and abstract chamber music that never loses track of a beautiful melody with a folk-like simplicity. The opener "Nat" ("Night") is a case in point, with its nocturnal mood and breezy blowing from Konitz and a shimmering riverbed of chords from Bro and Frisell.
"Northern Blues" is a perfect description of the aesthetic of an album whose organic sound and blue melancholy still comes across as cathartic, with a childlike sense of the wonder of creation. Thus, no-one brings the attention to the bass' tactile quality of wood and steel like Morgan, as he plucks the strings with delicacy and strength.
Overall, there is unique sense of the power of space as the four musicians transform the fluid shapes of melodies and drum-less rhythms into a moving eulogy to time as the condition of all musical artalthough, paradoxically, what remains in the end is a timeless work of art.
Track Listing
Nat; Cirkler; A Simple Premise; Swimmer; Northern Blues; Fiordlands; Yellow; Smaa Dyr.
Personnel
Jakob Bro
guitarLee Konitz: alto saxophone; Bill Frisell: guitar; Jakob Bro: guitar; Thomas Morgan: bass.
Album information
Title: Time | Year Released: 2011 | Record Label: Loveland Records
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