Music Reviews from the Staff of the Poison Pie Publishing House

 

September 16, 2018
Three New Releases from Gotta Let it Out
The staff of the Poison Pie Publishing House review three releases from August 2018 by the Danish label, Gotta Let it Out.

 

Høbama - Claus Højensgård, Emanuele Maniscalco & Nelide Bandello
Label: Gotta Let It Out
Catalog #: GLIO22
Country: Denmark
Release Date: August, 2018
Media: lp, cd & digital
discogs.com entry
bandcamp.com entry

From the first note that emerges from trumpeter Claus Højensgård, a listener can immediately anticipate that one is in for a musical treat. Højensgård is joined by Emanuele Maniscalco on keyboards and Nelide Bandello on drums. The trio creates an entertaining and contemplative seven tracks, blending composition and improvisation. Høbama contains its unique appeal but, for purposes of reference, what came to mind during listening was A Cosmic Rhythm with Each Stroke by Vijay Iyer and Wadada Leo Smith. In the interplay and mutual understanding of the trumpet and keyboard, Høbama compares very favorably with A Cosmic Rhythm. The music is similarly restrained but evocative. The addition of drums on this album is welcome and opens additional possibilities. All three musicians seem intent on expressing themselves in a mode that is, at one and the same time, distinctive to this trio and easily appealing to a passing ear. This delightful record bears many repeated listenings.

 

Spirit of Gaia - Nikita Rafaelov
Label: Gotta Let It Out
Catalog #: GLIO23
Country: Denmark
Release Date: August, 2018
Media: lp, cd, cassette & digital
discogs.com entry
bandcamp.com entry

Finnish pianist, Nikita Rafaelov, has constructed an album of solo music, which explores the appeal of repeated patterns by their superposition. The result is the emergence of a phenomenon, constructive interference of a sort, though there is nothing that interferes with its ready appreciation. The superficial simplicity of the approach is belied by the clear intent to expose the music in this revealing light. Surely, all music can be decomposed into distinct patterns, at least attributed to each instrument. Here the solo piano generates multiple components and allows them to intermingle in a manner that reflects the esthetics of Rafaelov. Some of the pieces possess a gradual, deliberate pace, as in the title track, while many others display a faster tempo. All of them have a common likability. We enjoyed this record too.

Here at the Poison Pie Publishing House, we don't listen to that much solo piano music. We tried to think of an album to which Spirit of Gaia could be compared, but no immediate comparison came to mind. We have recently listened to the 2018 reissue of Symbol Systems by Matthew Shipp on hatOLOGY. These two releases aren't really like each other save for the inventiveness of the pianists!

 

Split : Body by Tomo Jacobson, Maria Laurette Friis & Emanuele Maniscalco / Kārlis Auziņš
Label: Gotta Let It Out
Catalog #: GLIO18
Country: Denmark
Release Date: August, 2018
Media: cassette & digital
discogs.com entry
bandcamp.com entry

This is a split cassette, in which each side contains music by different artists. As for the title, Split indicates the nature of the two sides of the cassette and Body provides a common theme.

On Side A, there is a longish (44 minute) piece by the trio of Tomo Jacobson (bass), Maria Laurette Friis (vocals) & Emanuele Maniscalco (piano). Earlier this year we reviewed the album, Birthday, by the trio Il Songo (The Dream), which includes Jacobson and Maniscalco with Oliver Laumann on drums. Birthday had been our introduction to these musicians and we thoroughly enjoyed that record, so our expectations were high for this record. The difference between this release and Birthday is greater than the difference between the presence of a vocalist or a drummer. The earlier album featured shorter songs, each communicating an individual message in a distinct package, whereas Split : Body presents an extended opportunity for an idea to develop and evolve over the course of the performance. The vocals appear sporadically and remain remarkably subdued, especially for non-idiomatic vocalists who often are much more intentional in their efforts to issue a challenge to the ear. This album demonstrates the breadth of Jacobson, Maniscalco and collaborators in their musical endeavors.

On side B, we are treated to three solo saxophone pieces (two short and one long) by the Latvian, Kārlis Auziņš. The playing of Auziņš should find a willing audience in the many aficionados of freely improvised saxophone. It proved a most worthy b-side!

 

 

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