Hans Koch / Frantz Loriot / Jonas Kocher: Stranger Becoming

The title says it all, Stranger Becoming. Not "becoming stranger," but Stranger Becoming as in unusual yet attractive or tasteful. That certainly is a perfect descriptor for the music generated by the trio of Hans Koch(clarinet), Frantz Loriot (viola), and Jonas Kocher (accordion). All three have a background in classical music which serves as the foundation for the sound of this session. From that cornerstone the trio delves into free improvisations on these six tracks.

Their music is centered around a group chamber music sound with listening at its center. Cooperation is emphasized over soloing here to build differing textures of filtered colors and hues. The pacific approach of "All Told" involves a layering of steady unperturbed tones one over another. The effect is one of luxurious ease. Same for "A Fleeting Purchase" with its eerie and ethereal application of sustained notes. "Relinquished Rifles" inverts the mood with pecking clarinet and plucked viola chased by Kocher's accordion. The trio's playful aggression is resolved into the eventual group silence. "Found Bodies" takes its inspiration from the sounds of electronics artists. The trio makes the sound appear manipulated by way of their techniques. With no electronics in the studio, the playing is quite amazing. Finally, "Stranger Becoming" is a woven tapestry of breathy clarinet, eerie viola notes, and accordion keys pressed one after another interwoven into a kind of beautiful musical prayer.