Home » Jazz Articles » Album Review » (Blade of) Carlstedt Motzer Torn: The Flowering Am

6

(Blade of) Carlstedt Motzer Torn: The Flowering Am

By

View read count
(Blade of) Carlstedt Motzer Torn: The Flowering Am
The first sound that greets the listener to this new improvisational trio is the familiar strangled whammy bar manipulations of guitarist David Torn, joined by textural sounds by fellow guitarist Tim Motzer. Drummer Jeremy Carlstedt provides only a heartbeat rhythm initially, followed by cymbals and drums that only coalesce into a regular beat about halfway into the opener "Ping." It is the kind of open exploration expected from these adventurous musicians, ranging from calm to stormy and taking the listener along for a sometimes unexpected ride.

"Les Fleurs D'Ambonif" brings the trio into full cry. Carlstedt and Motzer also play together in the trio Orion Tango, so it should not be surprising that this group calls some of that band's freer playing to mind. Before long the sound finds its way into more textural territory. And despite the lack of a bassist, there is still plenty of low-end (which could be coming from any of the players, since they all have electronics at their disposal). So it is a group with a wide range of sounds available, in every sense of the word. There is also plenty of ecstatic soloing from both Torn and Motzer, building to a powerful climax. "Assume No Mountain" concludes the set with a kind of coda: at first it seems to be a quiet textural exercise, before louder sounds emerge from the background, only to finally fade away. A calm conclusion, or an invitation to listen again from the beginning, where new discoveries await.

Track Listing

Ping; Les Fleurs D'Ambonif; Assume No Mountain.

Personnel

(Blade of) Carlstedt Motzer Torn
band / ensemble / orchestra
Tim Motzer
guitar
David Torn
guitar, electric
Additional Instrumentation

David Torn: guitar, electronics, live looping; Tim Motzer: acoustic-electric guitars, electronics, looping; Jeremy Carlstedt: drums, turntable, op-1.

Album information

Title: The Flowering Am | Year Released: 2023 | Record Label: 1K Recordings

Tags

Comments


PREVIOUS / NEXT




Support All About 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 make 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.

Go Ad Free!

To maintain our platform while developing new means to foster jazz discovery and connectivity, we need your help. You can become a sustaining member for as little as $20 and in return, we'll immediately hide those pesky ads plus provide access to future articles for a full year. This winning combination vastly improves 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

Tramonto
John Taylor
Ki
Natsuki Tamura / Satoko Fujii
Duality Pt: 02
Dom Franks' Strayhorn
The Sound of Raspberry
Tatsuya Yoshida / Martín Escalante

Popular

Old Home/New Home
The Brian Martin Big Band
My Ideal
Sam Dillon
Ecliptic
Shifa شفاء - Rachel Musson, Pat Thomas, Mark Sanders
Lado B Brazilian Project 2
Catina DeLuna & Otmaro Ruíz

Get more of a good thing!

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

Install All About Jazz

iOS Instructions:

To install this app, follow these steps:

All About Jazz would like to send you notifications

Notifications include timely alerts to content of interest, such as articles, reviews, new features, and more. These can be configured in Settings.