Human Being Human — Disappearance (April)

Human Being Human is a Danish trio led by double bassist Torben Bjørnskov with Esben Tjalve on piano and Fredrik Bülow on drums. Disappearance is the group’s second release, coming just a year after Equals. Bjørnskov, who has appeared with luminaries such as Billy Cobham, offers up a set of eight mid-length and largely slow to mid-tempo original compositions that sound simultaneously well-rehearsed and spontaneous. From an initial slap of a cymbal, tinkle of piano, or burble of bass, the tunes develop organically, with occasional martial beats giving way to gentle reveries and picking up pace again or staccato chords and percussion marking the transitions. Also crucial to their sound, the members of the group know how to hang back and make full use of the spaces among the notes.

These musicians have clearly logged a lot of practice and stage time together and learned how to play off of each other. Bjørnskov’s bass alternately provides counterpoint to the piano and locks in with Bülow’s tasteful percussion as well as providing some nice solos, as on the title track and the ballad “Together Again.” Tjalve has a sensitive touch that keeps him from dominating the sound, as keyboards sometimes do in small groups, and his meditative approach well suits the compositions. The leader also brings in electronics at times, such as on “When You Find It, You Will Know,” that add a little diversity to the sound without distracting from the overall mood.

Over all, Human Being Human contribute to what has been an excellent year for piano trios (other, quite different, examples covered by Dusted recently include Vicente Archer’s Short Stories and Vertical Motion by Anthony Davis, Kyle Motl, and Kjell Nordeson). Disappearance offers a nice balance between gentle melodic passages and moments that demand the listener’s attention. The title, according to the liner notes, refers to anxiety about the fleeting nature of life, but these Danes do not sound melancholy.

Jim Marks