Ayumi Tanaka, Thomas Morgan, Thomas Strønen: Windflower

Ayumi Tanaka plays with precision and spare motifs. There are no wasted notes, and her work owes much to the balance between her country of birth and the country of residence. She has a virtuosic restraint. Rhythmic structures are often flexible, non-metrical, or thin, closely mirroring the organic movements of nature. In an interview she said, "I really think that what I do is trying to learn from nature. The way we play with space is not quantifiable. I want to compose music which sounds like an improvisation, and I want to improvise music that sounds like it has been written. I want these two modes to be equal in my music. That's how I work." In her playing, silence, spatial gaps between notes, and physical stillness carry as much artistic weight as the sounds themselves.

The influence of Nordic musicians has been crucial. "I'm happy that my music is considered Nordic. I got to meet and play with so many great Nordic musicians; it's a good thing that the music sounds like the scene which inspired it! I am very happy about this, because I feel so lucky to have been accepted in this great community of musicians in Norway. I want my music to be the result of as many mixes as possible; simply because the Norwegian scene is so open."

Thomas Morgan anchors the works with melodic lines woven around Tanaka's notes. Thomas Strønen has worked with Tanaka before. He relies on cymbals, brushes, and mallets. His role is to provide a percussion palette. The title track "Windflower" establishes the tone of the album. This is meditative music: the pattern of percussion, the bell-like notes from the piano, the pulse from the bass. The piece opens with sparse piano chords and airy cymbal scrapes; it moves gently through floating harmonies as Morgan introduces a quiet, steady bass line underneath.

The only prepared piece, "La Source," is by Tanaka. There is a melody that reveals itself slowly; each player expands on the melody and brings their own thoughts. Strønen's brushes underpin; intermittent syncopated phrases emphasise the collectivity. "Tree of Stars" comes from the imagery of the Star Festival. After the initial piano opening, Morgan brings in a soft bass line as Strønen chimes the constellation. Strønen paints a swirling, oceanic backdrop for "The Sea Is Still" with cymbals while Tanaka's active piano delves under the surface. Morgan plays on the lower strings. Delicate and brief, "Spring" focuses on small gestures and gradual harmonic changes. Tanaka's phrases rise with clear articulation before dissolving into air gently. An unusual bass line from Morgan for "Driftwood." Tanaka plays around this with light, chattering motifs.

The album finishes by reducing the sound to essentials: a single note on the piano, rustling cymbals, a simple note on the bass. The record dissolves into silence on an understated, poetic note, bringing the record to a serene, natural conclusion. Recorded at the renowned Studios La Buissonne in the South of France under the direction of Manfred Eicher, the album captures three distinct improvisational voices engaged in a delicate dialogue where silence and space are treated as equal musical instruments.