Listen/purchase: 27,5 by Joakim Milder, Fredrik Ljungkvist, Mathias Landaeus, Filip Augustson, Fredrik Rundqvist

Tomasz Stanko Septet

Litania: music of Krzysztof Komeda, 1997 · https://spoti.fi/38h4RG0

Tomasz Stanko (tp), Bernt Rosengren (ts), Joakim Milder (ts, ss), Bobo Stenson (p), Palle Danielsson (d), Jon Christensen (d) & Terje Rypdal (g)

ECM 1636 * Lp info

Robyn actually needed her early LPs to find out how she wished to become the Robyn. Therefore, Robyn's eponymous album showed us the singer we know now. She did that by changing her sound as she abandoned her previous soundscapes in favour of a contemporary electronica. Of course, the fact her homeland had something of an explosion within the genre during that time contributed greatly to her records. Still, she didn't leave everything behind, she kept one of her stronger suits from her sharing-the-producer-with-Britney days, i.e. we tend to forget she already wrote her own material back then and we also don't notice she can hit an emotional target so well. The piece on the link proves that with an incredible set up that results into a devastation.

Marcin Wasilewski Trio & Joakim Milder 

JazzBaltica 2015

Light Blue

Joakim Milder Trio

Joakim Milder – sax Thommy Andersson – bass Martin Andersen – drums

Marcin Wasilewski Trio with Joe Lovano: Arctic Riff (ECM, 2020)

Thank you for continuing to support Jazz Views With CJ Shearn for its 200th post and my goal of providing in depth reviews for jazz and beyond.  This review is dedicated to my late mother Bonnie Shearn (1948-2016).

Marcin Wasilewski: piano; Slawomir Kurkiewicz: double-bass; Michal Miskiewicz: drums; with Joe Lovano: tenor saxophone.

Pianist Marcin Wasilewski, bassist Slawomir Kurkiewicz, and drummer Michal Miskiewicz have been one of Poland's finest jazz groups for over two decades. Initially they began as a trio in their teens as the Simple Acoustic Trio, and first entered the ECM orbit with the legendary, late Tomasz Stanko for three albums, before issuing Trio (2005) with Wasilewski and Kurkiewicz also appearing during Manu Katche's three album ECM run. They have been nothing but consistent, releasing a string of worthwhile albums, with Live being their previous effort in 2016.  For Arctic Riff, their first studio album since the excellent Spark of Life (2014) with Swedish tenor saxophonist Joakim Milder, the trio welcomes Joe Lovano into the fold.

Joe Lovano made his first ECM appearance in 1981, and since becoming a leader for the label with Trio Tapestry last year, makes  his third label appearance in less than a year, having co lead a quintet with Enrico Rava on Roma released last year as well.  What Lovano brings to the trio is quite different than Milder, but no less enriching: he is an additional fearless, exploratory spirit to Wasilewski, Kurkiewicz and Miskiewicz in their unique brand of piano trio exploring melody with building undercurrents of thrilling tension and heat.  For example, Lovano's fat, warm tone slices like a fencer through the first version of Carla Bley's classic “Vashkar”, sparring with Miskiewicz' spiraling drums like two brothers in fierce competition,  all the while Kurkiewicz' bass keeps a clear harmonic outline, while also broadening it's scope.  The saxophonist brings heart wrenching tenderness to the opening ballad “Glimmer of Hope”, and Wasilewski's melancholic musings capture his wonderful ability to carve out simultaneously searching and melodic improvisation.  The egalitarian ethos of the ensemble approach is best expressed on the epic, nine and a half minute “Cadenza”, a virtual suite that combines the best of both improvisation and new music.  Lovano's brawny inner dialogue with the rhythm section contrasts with the pianist's obtuse shapes, and Kurkiewicz' arco harmonics, bathed in a distant reverb, that timbrally recall Robert Een's cello on the opening of vocalist Meredith Monk's defining Dolmen Music (ECM New Series, 1981).  The quartet examines a variety of colors and moods from this point, demonstrating their remarkable simpatico and ability to adapt on a dime.  

Wasilewski's memorable “Fading Sorrow” allows the saxophonist time to show his gorgeous approach to melody, and the pianist explores both the pretty, poppish contours, supported by its equally beautiful harmony. Everyone burns full tilt for “L'amour Fou”, the pianist's out for blood swing echoing the same drive found on “Actual Proof” recorded on both Spark of Life and Live.  “Vashkar” (var) ideally contrasts Lovano's once more turbulent rhythm section dialogue, whereas Wasilewski's quiet, calming solo brings things to a satisfying resolution; the ways in which the core trio is able to latch onto a variety of rhythmic ideas, and time feels is reminiscent of the classic Hancock/Carter/Williams rhythm team with Miles Davis. This method of operation is especially evident on the closing “Old Hat”, Lovano book ending the journey with the gentle caresses that began the album.

Sound:

Recorded at Studios La Buissone in France, and produced by Manfred Eicher, Arctic Riff really hones in on the intimacy and interplay of the quartet. Wasilewski's mid range of the piano is rich, sounding true to life, with a sparkling high end.  Slawomir Kurkiewicz's bass tone is gargantuan and rendered nicely, in combination with the revealing nature of the Focal Chorus 716 speakers and the enhanced sound stage and separation from the Schiit Modius DAC.  Joe Lovano's tenor saxophone is breathy, and has mass. Miskiewicz' cymbals shimmer and bloom, as they do on previous releases.

Concluding thoughts:  

Marcin Wasilewski's brand of trio playing continues to be captivating.  The bond of Kurkiewicz and Miskiewicz continues to be palpable, and the pianist's knack for great melody and resourcefulness as an improviser is impressive.  Adding Joe Lovano to the mix is an inspired pairing that one would hope will continue. He adds just a bit more fire, and inquisitiveness that keeps the exploratory nature of the trio highly attuned.  Arctic Riff is one of the finest releases of the year thus far.

Music rating: 9.5/10

Sound rating: 9/10

Equipment used:

HP Pavilion Laptop

Focal Chorus 716 Floor Standing speakers

Musicbee (for WAV file playback)

Schiit Modius DAC

Sigurdardôttir och Schultz gnistrar och glimmar på Fasching 28 jan

Det började som ett duoprojekt när pianisten Anna Gréta Sigurdardôttir och gitarristen Max Schultz fann varandra. Men allt eftersom deras komponerande framskred så kände de att det behövdes något mer för att göra musiken full rättvisa, vilket ledde till att de tog in andra instrument i projektet. Och så här med facit i hand, ett nytt album och den konsert på Fasching som jag bevistade i tisdags, så tycker jag att de gjorde helt rätt. Så inleder bloggaren och Faschingvännen Anders Lindén sitt träffsäkra referat från vänkvällen, klicka in och läs på https://kulturyttranden.wordpress.com/

Det var gruppens första konsert tillsammans och vi fick höra samtliga låtar från albumet Brighter - Anna Grétas första skiva i eget namn. 2019 belönades hon med Monica Zetterlunds stipendium och 2018 fick hon Faschings Vänners stipendium - grattis igen!  

Jazzen har efter bebop- och hardboperan gått in i en era där konsten att etablera en egen ljudbild betyder nästan lika mycket som musikernas skicklighet. I det här fallet står melodierna, ofta vackra och lite vemodiga, i centrum, alla skrivna av antingen Sigurdadóttir eller Schultz, eller båda tillsammans. Ibland rör sig gitarr, piano och sax tillsammans, spelar samma toner samtidigt, ibland går de i varandras fotspår och ibland rör de sig runt varandra ständigt på vandring framåt - ett citat från Anders blogg.

Max Schultz med sin nylonsträngade gitarr och Joakim Milder på sopran- och tenorsax.

Christian Spering på kontrabas och Magnus Gran trummor.

The Daily 30th: Chicago Bulls

Welcome to The Daily 30th, a project whose life expectancy ranges somewhere between the end of this sentence and forever. The idea, at least, is to pick a team each day and write about that team. This rotisserie style of thought will not conform to the latest headlines, meaning we'll spend some days being some of the few folks thinking about certain teams. Essentially, the decision regarding which team to write about will be made randomly. I literally wrote down each team name on a piece of paper, cut said paper into 30 pieces, placed each piece of paper in a hat, and drew one out, and that's how I decided which team I'm going to write about today. It just so happened that today's team is the Chicago Bulls.

If we could empathize with each human being in the world, we would understand humanity better. Since humanity and basketball are sibling concepts, we will apply this principle, of empathizing with each team a little here and there, beyond just when they're en vogue for the few hours before Donald Trump's next asinine tweet.

Chicago Bulls

Mood: Thinking about how steep descent into valley hurts its quads to distract itself from mountain it has to climb on other side of said valley.

Best thing going: Freedom of release that comes with giving up.

Best player: Dwyane Wade

Worst player: Dwyane Wade

1-year core: Dwyane Wade, Zach Lavine, Robin Lopez

5-year core: Zach Lavine, Kris Dunn, Lauri Markkanen, Paul Zipser, Bobby Portis, a bad pick from losing a lot this season.

Being a Bulls fan has been a mega bummer for the past four seasons. From the fall of Tom Thibodeau, to that of Derrick Rose and Joakim Noah, to the rise of the three alphas, to the liberation of Jimmy Butler, Bulls fans have seen a lot of years of progress blown away like sand in the wind: easily, as if simply part of the course of things, with little tangible resistance. At the helm of the deconstruction is the almighty GarPax, the couple name given to Gar Forman and John Paxson and a Krang-like being whose ambitious plans are often hare-brained, off-base, and sophisticated enough to be foiled by a gang of stoner turtles. If you're wondering, the Krang is Gar Forman's brain walking around in John Paxson's body, a disarming presence for Bulls fans, who will forever remember the shot that won Chicago the finals in 1993. Imagine how much louder the clamor would be for their collective head if, say, Danny Ferry was the one running the operation. Fuck a Danny Ferry. Pax, though, has cred. So Bulls fans have endured this bumbling deconstruction over the past few years, missing the window of last season to sharpen their blades against the monsters in the front office, falling utterly for the illusion of a playoff chase involving a bunch of players Bulls fans loved to hate four years ago. This slow descent gave GarPax time to trigger a real rebuild, which doesn't seem promising at this point anyhow. Nonetheless, Bulls fans (or, more importantly, ownership) will be strung along, and only when the rebuild is pronounced dead and a new one initiated will the ownership consider a change.

Until then, though, Bulls fans, ever loyal, will hope against hope that this just works out for some reason. Perhaps a lottery win will net the team a franchise changing player, perhaps Markkanen becomes a legitimate player, and Dunn makes a step forward, and the Bulls actually find some solid ground to build on. Head coach Fred Hoiberg, whom fans really wanted to jump at the Ohio State job, is guaranteed another two years to try and steer this team through what is sure to be a trying time. With two of the three alphas out the door, Hoiberg can either try and work with Wade to establish, for the first time since taking over, a unified leadership front in the locker room. That, or ignore Wade and let him pout his way into obscurity while collecting massive checks for some reason. Either way, Butler stood in the way of the Bulls being Fred's team, and him being out of the picture gives Hoiberg the chance, finally, to let his vision be the only one his team sees. It definitely says something about a coach when he needs to be without great players in order to work comfortably. Say what you want about Phil Jackson, he never coached a star player he didn't like, and he coached a lot of unlikable star players. (Note: I had to edit that from “met” to “coached” because of his recent dipshittery in New York with Carmelo Anthony and Kristaps Porzingis, so, yeah, say what you want about Phil Jackson.) Bulls fans are loyal enough to give Hoiberg a shot at a new start this year, if only because they know he isn't going anywhere barring an unseen change of heart from the almighty GarPax. Here are a few decisions GarPax has made in recent years:

• Traded Jusuf Nurkic and Gary Harris for Doug McDermott

• Paired Jimmy Butler and Derrick Rose

• Paired Joakim Noah and Pau Gasol

• Traded Luol Deng for cap space and eventual cash considerations

• Fired Tom Thibodeau

• Hired Fred Hoiberg

• Traded Derrick Rose and Joakim Noah for Jerian Grant, Jose Calderon, and Robin Lopez

• Teamed Rajon Rondo and Dwyane Wade with Jimmy Butler

• Traded Doug McDermott and Taj Gibson for Cameron Payne, Anthony Morrow, and Joffrey Lauvergne

• Traded Jimmy Butler and Justin Patton for Zach Lavine, Kris Dunn, and Lauri Markkanen

The common themes here are good things going out, nothing good coming in, and toxic combinations on the floor. The jury is out on the coming in portion of the Butler trade, but recent trends have not given much cause for optimism. There is little left to do in the Bulls' offseason, other than put finishing touches on the roster or maybe move some pieces around. Ostensibly, the 12 are in place, and the outlook for the Bulls this season is really quite bad. The starting five figures to be something along the lines of: Jerian Grant, Zach Lavine, Dwyane Wade, Bobby Portis, and Robin Lopez, with Kris Dunn, Justin Holiday, Paul Zipser, Lauri Markkanen, and Cristiano Felicio coming off the bench. Wade is sorely out of place in the locker room, with 5 more years of experience than the team's other veteran, Robin Lopez. Both players are bad fits for the veteran player-coach role, as Wade still has winning to do in his basketball career and no mentee on which to impart wisdom, and Lopez is a player built on scrap and hustle, the exact kind of thing you can't really teach. This roster, as is, is built to win never. The hope of this team is that Lavine, Dunn, Zipser, Portis, Markkanen, and Felicio all take breathtaking leaps forward over the next two years, all while the Bulls win the lottery and land a franchise-changing player. Of those six names, the Bulls need two of them to develop into winning pieces plus a franchise-changer coming either via the lottery or free agency (it's a matter of time before the “Bulls revving up for a run at Anthony Davis” headlines start to emerge from the shadows).

Honestly, it's a bit of a ridiculous proposition. In all likelihood, Lavine has his best statistical season without showing any real growth, Wade misses half the year, Grant fizzles, Dunn develops marginally, Markkanen has flashes but doesn't show ability to initiate anything himself, Portis plateaus, Felicio lumbers his way into being a slower, milder, bigger, less-skilled Taj Gibson, and Zipser averages 11 points and 5 rebounds a game or something amicably mediocre like that. The team wins around 30 games and gets the ninth pick or so in next year's lottery, takes either an upperclassmen from a blue blood university or a one-and-done from a fringe school, and wins even fewer games next year before landing high enough in the lottery to take someone good enough to keep GarPax around just when we were ready to fire them. Hoiberg is scapegoated and the Bulls bring in Mark Jackson to coach, where they spend three seasons winning 45-50 games and losing in the first round, then the second, then the first again. See Red.

For the Bulls, the future is as bleak as the past is useless. An era that was defined by getting beat in 5 games by LeBron James's teams is over. A new one begins with ostensible potential, though it's hard to be optimistic until new management takes over. If there's one thing the city of Chicago has a tough time with, it's getting rid of old, tired regimes. When the Bulls bring in Sam Presti in 2023, however, the tide will turn for the better and the Bulls will be competing for championships by the year 2028 or so.

19.4.3

BGMは3月21日に完成し、ほっと一安心。一応、プレイリストを載せておく。

大杉隼平写真展「wherever -揺れゆく時の中で-」BGM（81min）

1. Nils Frahm / My Friend the Forest 2. The Cinematic Orchestra / Music Box 3. Oneohtrix Point Never / Babylon 4. 原 摩利彦 / Nuage 5. Nils Frahm / The Dane 6. 堀尾 和孝 / 回帰線 7. DJAVAN / Vive 8. Dominic Miller / Mixed Blessing 9. 堀尾 和孝 / 浜辺のワルツ 10. Dominic Miller / Bicycle 11. Dominic Miller / Tisane 12. Derrick Hodge / From Me to You 13. Marcin Wasilewski Trio & Joakim Milder / Austin 14. 原 摩利彦 / Grazia 15. Mono Fontana / Miro Una Estrella 16. Mats Eilertsen / Soften 17. Jonny Nash & Suzanne Kraft / Photo with Grey Sky, White Clouds 18. 堀尾 和孝 / Wave Song 19. 堀尾 和孝 / 出航

Il Jazz Day UNESCO unisce in un unico calendario mondiale concerti organizzati con queste finalità.

Organizzato ad Alba da Milleunanota, è stato il primo evento a godere del patrocinio UNESCO, prima che il territorio di Langhe-Roero e Monferrato fosse riconosciuto patrimonio dell’umanità.

Programma

Dalle ore 16.00 alle 16.30

Luogo: Piazza Garibaldi Formazione: Street jazz band

Dalle ore 16.30 alle 18.00

Luogo: Piazza Garibaldi Formazione: Un piano per l’International Jazz Day: concerto per piano solo

Dalle ore 16.00 alle 18.00

Luogo: Piazza Risorgimento Formazione: quartetto jazz

Dalle ore 17.00 alle 18.00

Luogo: libreria (stiamo definendo quale, presumibilmente La Torre) Formazione: incontro pubbico e colloquio con Comitato Giovani Unesco

Dalle ore 21.00 alle 23.00

Luogo: Chiesa di San Giuseppe Formazione: concerto di gala dell’International Jazz Day con il pianista e compositore danese Søren Bebe accompagnato dal chitarrista albese Filippo Cosentino.

Costo del biglietto per quest’ultimo evento € 5,00

Søren Bebe

Si inserisce nella scia dei maggiori pianisti jazz scandinavi come Esbjorn Svensson e Tord Gustavsen.

Come pianista e compositore, Søren Bebe s’ispira a una vasta gamma di sonorità, dal jazz americano ed europeo alla musica classica contemporanea, fino al rock, al pop e alla musica folcloristica danese.

Ha collaborato con musicisti di fama internazionale, come gli statunitensi Marc Johnson e Bill McHenry e lo svedese Joakim Milder.

http://ift.tt/eA8V8J

Listen/purchase: 27,5 by Joakim Milder, Fredrik Ljungkvist, Mathias Landaeus, Filip Augustson, Fredrik Rundqvist

薰：「我都唔係剩係聽 Metal 嘅....」　我們的 Awesome Mix 2015 (期間生産限定盤)

嚟到呢樹嘅人，個個都以為薰剩係聽 Metal；其實唔係囉，我都有聽好多其他歌囉，OK? 例如 Jazz 啦、Indies 啦、電子啦、Prog 啦、東瀛嘢啦、本地嘢啦，連美式口水 Pop 都有㗎~

不過要揀十零首出嚟原來真係有啲難度，度咗好耐，根本都唔知點揀好，所以索性諗到邊首就放邊首落去，亂鳩咁嚟就無煩惱啦~

01.〈Austin〉– Marcin Wasilewski Trio w/ Joakim Milder

▲Spark of Life (2014) – Marcin Wasilewski Trio w/ Joakim Milder

好多嘢嘅發生都係出現喺產生火花嘅一刻，雖然我同 Jazz 嘅關係千絲萬縷，但我同呢一隻由四位嚟自幾個歐洲慢活城市嘅爵士樂 supergroup 大碟《Spark of Life》所產生嘅火花，就真係由一剎那間開始；時間、情緒、精神嘅調和。不過我相信稍為鍾意聽音樂嘅人聽完第一隻歌〈Austin〉之後，都好難抗拒繼續聽落去。

02.〈The Other Side〉– Public Service Broadcasting

▲The Race for Space (2015) – Public Service Broadcasting

創作尺度原來真係可以好闊，以前覺得無返三五個人，點樣做音樂。但 Public Service Broadcasting 呢兩條友就狠狠地摑咗我好多巴；因為兩個人，加幾件樂器，再加埋 8 次人類太空之旅嘅聲帶就做到一隻咁有趣嘅碟出嚟。

你無端端會唔會去聽太空人喺太空到嘅紀錄? 我就唔會啦。但呢兩位英國人就將 Apollo 8 飛到去月球後面，斷咗訊號果 69 個鐘 (都成三日) 份 log 入面太空人被隔離嘅孤獨感、宇宙嘅浩瀚同埋之後得到回應嘅希望都變成好似電視劇情節一樣咁精彩；只係其實所有錄音都係真嘅。所以話，剩係果種氣氛感，都已經令人聽得入神。

▲成檯樂器，得兩個人要同時間玩晒其實真係有難度，所以 Live 通常都會請多位朋友嚟夾下 session；無論係兩個人定三個人都好，見到原音樂器同電子樂器原來可以咁樣夾，已經足以令人拍案叫絕啦。

03.〈Kids〉– YOUR ROMANCE

▲BUSINESS (2015) – YOUR ROMANCE

「日本真美好」，呢種觀點完全係一種第三身嘅遊客 (注意：唔是旅客) 先會講得出；日本都有自己積存嘅社會問題，而且完全唔輸蝕鄰國。所以日本算係其中一個最常見會懷念舊日美好，突然復興舊時音樂嘅地方；成軍於 2014 年嘅 YOUR ROMANCE 就正正係重塑 80 年代音樂嘅樂隊之一。濃厚嘅 80 年代復古浪漫情懷、Synthesizer 嘅溫暖特效，直率樸實嘅鼓同埋結他加就係四個字：青蒽歲月果陣醉人嘅豪邁感啊~

80年代最吸引人嘅地方就係果種開放，毫不掩飾造作嘅風氣，所以有時真係想請時下班人諗下自己想做嘜先；因為當你諗住想做文青之時，其實已經失去咗做文青嘅資格，着咩衫都掩蓋唔到果股渠味。

▲唔止首歌，連套 MV 嘅衣着、鏡頭、色tone、後製都咁重 80 年代味道，如果喺 Youtube 見到段 MV 出現喺「新片上架」，可能大家都會忍唔住講句：「又不是80年代」~

04.〈榴槤乜乜乜〉– 雞蛋蒸肉餅

▲榴槤乜乜乜 (2015) – 雞蛋蒸肉餅

本地音樂近年有越嚟越多內容貼地嘅歌，但往往不受普羅所重視，原因永遠都被歸咎於「太地下」；但其實 Post-Rock 同 Math-Rock 都已經受追過氣潮流嘅本土文青所青睞啦，即係都已經流行咗��一段時間，但依然未上到主流平台....

硬頸地認為流行樂只係一種風潮，而唔係一種固有曲風嘅薰，仲係未明白，到底係香港年輕一代真係已經唔太喜歡音樂，定抑或係大家都仲係抱住一種 Clockenflap 式；「來佬貨就正，本地嘢就硬係差咁啲」嘅優越感去聽?

05.〈猿の惑星〉– ASIAN KUNG-FU GENERATION

▲Wonder Future (2015) – ASIAN KUNG-FU GENERATION

我細細個就聽過 ASIAN KUNG-FU GENERATION 啲歌，事實上由佢哋第一隻碟已經聽起 (我都唔知點解咁細個就已經曉聽日文歌)，風格一直都無咩特別大轉變。不過佢哋近年的確係積極試新元素，可能係因爲佢哋自己都已經厭倦咗日本地上嘅音樂規範，所以又想靠攏返地下風格多一啲？不過呢隻碟變得最大嘅係個封面，無咗以前用開果種由漫畫家中村佑介畫嘅 album cover，好睇唔慣。

唔係話呢隻碟唔好聽，而係呢隻對於聽足佢哋咁多隻碟嘅人嚟講只稱得上係不過不矢；會揀呢隻歌嘅原因純粹係因爲〈猿の惑星〉係一套好好睇嘅搞鬼日劇「REPLAY＆DESTROY」嘅主題曲，有幾搞鬼? 你睇連首歌個 MV 都咁重玩味就知道。

▲ASIAN KUNG-FU GENERATION 啲歌其中一樣咁多年都吸引住我嘅地方，就係果種充滿日式搖滾味道嘅音樂；唔止係編曲，連啲樂器出嚟嘅聲都係。有機會去聽返佢哋舊啲嘅碟，或多或少都會感受到啲~

06.〈Perfect Life〉– Steven Wilson

▲Hand.Cannot.Erase (2015) – Steven Wilson

雖然有印象聽 Prog 果時已經係小學，但唔知係當年腦囟都未生埋，定係藝術修養太低 (我覺得兩樣都係)，聽 Prog 係只會聽頭果兩層，所以碟入面啲故事其實唔係太關我事。

可能因為而家個腦囟生咗多啲，去得多藝術館扮睇畫又識多咗小小鐵以外嘅嘢，所以就算面對借喺屋企伏屍近三年，但身邊完全無人察覺嘅 Joyce Vincent 案，去探討「因為我們都如此孤單，所以我們並不孤單」呢個永恆嘅哲學問題時，我都終於開始聽得明。

〈Perfect Life〉算係成集碟最少以往 Steven Wilson 嘅 Rock、Metal 元素嘅歌之一，反而更似一首電子音樂；不過掛上 Steven 嘅大名，其實唔令人意外。亦係因爲呢首，所以令到成隻碟嘅起伏更清晰，故事發展脈絡都更易明。

從前總係美好，令我哋可以堅持落去嘅好多時都係因為令人回味嘅過去；從前總係傷感，因為我哋都清楚知道，過去就係過去，永遠都無可能再重覆。我哋可以有將來，就係因為大家都有自己先會明白嘅過去，一個完美嘅過去。

又，唔知有無直接關係，我 (同好多外國網友) 覺得因為《Hand.Cannot.Erase》實在太多層次同霧氣 (Steven Wilson 招牌之一)，所以畀你有再貴噚嘅喇叭同 Hi-Fi 玩意，效果都未必有用一對好嘅耳機嚟聽咁傳神，同埋理解透徹。

▲Steven Wilson 嘅歌－其實多數 Prog 嘅作品都係，聽落已經唔錯，但戴埋 headphone 聽，細節享受真係會豐富一大截，唔好講得遠，就呢首已經係咁啦！

07.〈Demon of the Fall〉– Opeth

▲My Arms, Your Hearse (1998) – Opeth

作為 Opeth 首隻有完整故事，仲要係一個愛情故事嘅概念專輯，其實錄音未算完善，再加上 Mikael Åkerfeldt 當時正值重感冒，把聲其實有啲曳。

但篇故事就係講到死鬼老公返嚟尋妻，相處返唔知幾多個四季。死鬼老公把聲固然就有啲期待，有啲傷心，有啲怨恨，再加多小小愛；正值入秋，似乎就係一把夠厚，夠深，又帶點乾澀沙啞，即係重感冒嘅聲。

雖然所有客觀因素都唔係咁完美，但出到嚟個效果偏偏就係咁檸完美，再加埋曲末 30 秒果兩支結他追逐嘅 riff，聽落就好似老公不斷想捉住老婆隻手，只係不斷撲空；呢幾分淒美，仲美麗過睇戲。

08.〈The Loneliness of the Long Distance Runner〉– Iron Maiden

▲Somewhere in Time (1986) – Iron Maiden

Iron Maiden 咁多年出咗咁多隻碟，其實隻隻都真係有返咁上下水準。《Somewhere in Time》入面首〈The Loneliness of the Long Distance Runner〉就係其中一首我百聽不厭嘅歌，唔係因爲首歌同個歌名一樣咁長，而係因爲 Bruce Dickinson 把英式嚎叫唱腔好聽，中段結他 solo 精彩之餘，首歌本身已經意味深。

Determination Makes you run never stop Got to win got to run 'til you drop

8、90 年代發跡嘅金屬樂隊有好多，但好多都只喺一味屌鳩制度，大聲話要擺脫束縛，即使紅如 Metallica 首〈Master of Puppets〉都僅此而已。而 Iron Maiden 就已經諗緊現在同將來，再加送多樣「做人要內省」畀你，所以當同年代嘅 Band 而家都已經習慣咗收錢做嘢，或者打完交就散 band 之際，Iron Maiden 仲咁襟聽係有原因嘅~

睇得明歌詞其實唔難，識字就可以，但要理解字裏行間嘅意思，就絕對唔係睇完就算；事實上，近年亦都唔係太多歌可以做到「每次聽都感受更深」呢種層次。

有時生活就係咁諷刺，全心全意做一件事嘅附帶條件，就係孤獨。

Run on and on Run on and on The loneliness of the long distance runner

09.〈Stronger (What Doesn't Kill You)〉– Kelly Clarkson

▲Stronger (2015) – Kelly Clarkson

Pop，尤其是係美式有嘢唔好，就係好多都畫公仔畫到出晒腸，聽得多就會略嫌通俗，但顯淺易明亦係佢嘅最大優點。 Kelly Clarkson 呢首 Stronger 喺音樂上嚟講其實都係無咩新意，之前喺全球各大電台亦已經播到爛。

What doesn't kill you makes you stronger Stand a little taller

不過我份人就係咁簡單，一句啱聽嘅歌詞就可以引到我去買。雖然 Stronger 主題都係美式情歌，但愛情就係生命一部份，亦都只係生命其中一部分，無需無限放大，亦不需忌諱封口；呢種 Stronger 放喺生活中每一個角落，都同樣適用。

What doesn't kill you makes a fighter Footsteps even lighter

10.〈Pay My Debts〉– Sharon Van Etten

▲I Don't Want to Let You Down (2015) – Sharon Van Etten

掛上 Sharon Van Etten 之名嘅作品就係有趣，作品主題雖然比中文流行曲更情情塌塌，但音樂就分分鐘比本地不少獨立樂隊來得更 indle。雖然只有接近 23 分鐘長嘅《I Don't Want to Let You Down》無論如何都稱唔上 Sharon 嘅最佳作，但〈Pay My Debts〉果種直白嘅真情流露就肯定有一種窩心：令人不自覺地放鬆一直用力掩藏嘅傷口，赤裸裸暴露喺陽光之下。

11.〈Run Dry〉– Caspian

▲Dust And Disquiet (2015) – Caspian

Post-Rock 嘢近年話聽得少又唔算少，多又唔係真係好多，50 隊都無。但其實有好多都含有強烈前輩嘅影子，甚至好多歌都非常「致敬」，就算彈得再好，都已經缺乏創新，就正好失去咗當年 Post-Rock 出現要革新嘅意義。

搖滾亦並非一味只有激昂，總有人只做自己鍾意嘅事，Caspian 就係一個例子，正如今次個封面一樣，遠望一片漆黑，要行近睇先會見到當中細節。佢哋隻隻碟我都有幾首特別鍾意，新碟就不得不提下首完全擺脫 Post-Rock 一貫生澀、憤世嫉俗情感嘅〈Run Dry〉；除咗更成熟、簡單咁輕輕講出一種由 20 歲到 60 歲都可能會有嘅無奈之外，仲證明咗就算唔嗌，Caspian 一樣可以好唱得。即使唔被一開始果下擦弦吸引住，一路聽落去唔多唔少應該都會有啲感觸。

From the time that we were young We were wild-eyed dreamers And now we cautiously raise our eyes

趁後生就唔駛怕醜，如果淚線仲未乾，其實用多幾次都無妨。

So weep til you drown Or until you run dry

▲Caspian 其中一樣最與眾不同嘅地方就係膽大心細，歌唔會過份矯情造作，濫用 Post-Rock 系最常見嘅「步步推移法」，編曲入碟亦都明顯見到心思；比起彈歌，編碟更加考藝術同音樂造詣。

12.〈Learning to Live〉– Dream Theater

▲Images and Words (1992) – Dream Theater

講得現代 Prog Metal，一定唔會無 Dream Theater 個大名。雖然近年幾張大碟都少咗 DT 嘅重要特點 - 「創造力」；但由無人睇好 Prog 到成為一陣潮流，DT 嘅努力同埋魅力的確功不可沒。當年成名大碟《Images and Words》果首〈Metropolis - Part I〉令人驚艷，成為 DT 永不褪色經典之一，甚至令日後樂迷嘅呼聲高到可以說服唱片公司肯畀 DT 出多隻完整專輯講埋 Part II。

但最得我心嘅唔係永恆經典〈Metropolis〉與易於入口嘅〈Another Day〉，反而係「Last but not Least」嘅〈Learning to Live〉。成首歌充滿力量及生命力；vocal、結他、Bass、keyboard、鼓 5 種元素互相支撐，唔容許任何一秒缺乏能量，一班頭髮長長嘅年輕人就用各自嘅專長刻畫出一幅生澀、充滿憧憬嘅畫面。

生存與生俱來，生活卻要學習，望下年中有幾多人臨終都唔知何謂生活就明白，呢樣嘢唔單只係考起好多年輕一輩 (包括我) 嘅課題。

薰係….

膠人一名，喜歡音樂，喜歡摔角，喜歡搪膠，喜歡頭髮，喜歡女人，喜歡質感，喜歡金屬，喜歡木頭，喜歡美麗，喜歡典雅，喜歡設計，喜歡時尚，喜歡自然，喜歡文史哲，喜歡幾百萬樣嘢；可憐我只有一副軀殼，24 小時，同埋《我們的音樂》。

by 薰

Marcin Wasilewski Trio & Joakim Milder

Spark of Life

ECM, 2014

Joakim Milder: saxophone (2-4, 6, 8);

Marcin Wasilewski: piano;

Slawomir Kurkiewicz: double bass;

Michal Miskiewicz: drums

What do you do when you've released three albums as a trio (more, if you include albums released in Poland, prior to coming to the label) for a producer who traditionally seems to like shaking things up after that magic number? For Polish pianist Marcin Wasilewski and his longstanding trio—first coming together in their teens, they've been together more than two decades, and first recorded for ECM with trumpeter Tomasz Stanko for a triptych of evolutionary albums that began with 2002's Soul of Things and concluded with the far maturer Lontano (2006)—there have been two moves in 2014: first, show up as Norwegian guitarist Jacob Young's band (along with saxophonist Trygve Seim) on Forever Young, and now, follow that appearance with another set under the trio's own name, but with guest saxophonist Joakim Milder in tow. Spark of Life is another stellar collection from a trio predicated on the value of longevity and leveraging the opportunities this now late-thirty-something trio has been afforded to build a language all its own. The Swedish-born Milder is no stranger to either the Polish scene or to ECM, though it's been 17 years since he last made an appearance on the label on one of Tomasz Stańko's most lauded sessions since the trumpeter's fruitful return to the label in 1994, 1997's Litania: Music of Krzystof Komeda. Here, in a smaller, more intimate context, the saxophonist helps make Spark of Life an album that, while rich with the profound lyricism that has imbued Wasilewksi's trio since it first emerged in Poland as the Simple Acoustic Trio, with its own tribute to the great film and jazz composer, Komeda (GOWI, 1995), simmers at a higher temperature...even, at times, approaching (if not exactly reaching) a full boil. Not that Spark of Life doesn't possess the same elegance, the same rarefied, song-like melodism of previous albums including 2008's January and 2011's Faithful, nor does it fail to capitalize on the innate strength of the trio, which performs six out of Spark of Life's eleven tracks on its own. Wasilewski's "Austin," is as soft and lyrical as the trio has ever been, an inviting opener that creates a strong sense of continuity with what's come before. And if "Austin" seems redolent of the American music town for which it might be named, despite it actually being a dedication to fellow pianist Austin Peralta, Wasilewski's "Sudovian Dance"—which follows and introduces Milder to the mix—turns to a more appropriately Baltic sense of folkloric melody, even as bassist Slawomir Kurkiewicz and drummer Michal Miskiewicz begin to turn the heat up during the saxophonist's solo, hinting at more muscular interaction to come. Still, Wasilewski's title track—presenting in two variations, first with Milder, but closing the album with a trio-only take—demonstrates that Milder does more than simply light a fire. A rubato tone poem where Miskiewicz's textural support is particularly noteworthy, Milder engages in a piece where interpretation and tone are everything. The saxophonist demonstrates similar developmental patience on his own irregularly metered "Still," while on a by now de rigueuer look at a Komeda piece, in this case, "Sleep Safe and Warm," the saxophonist demonstrates his attention to detail on a track that simmers with a slow-burning pedal point before breaking the tension into its familiar changes, with Kurkiewicz and Miskiewicz treading a very fine swinging line between the implicit and the explicit. While Wasilewski contributes five of the album's compositions, the trio makes clear that its musical touchstones range far and wide on a series of covers that range from a luxurious look at "Do Rycerzy, do Szlachty, do Mieszcan," from the Polish rock group Hey, that features Milder at his sparest and most refined, to a trio reading of Jazz Police's "Message in a Bottle. Heavily deconstructed and reconstructed, Kurkiewicz delivers his most potent solo of the set, while Wasilewksi demonstrates just how many rounded surfaces he can find in the relatively square corners of such a simple construct—having, in the past, found similar freedom in the music of Björk and Prince. And while he's long been a personal reference for Wasilewski, Spark of Life is the first time the pianist has taken the leap to actually perform a song by Herbie Hancock. In this case, the bright and bubbly "Actual Proof"—performed often by Hancock but first heard on the Headhunters' Thrust (Columbia, 1974)—and here turned into a more liberated and open-ended version that comes as close to incendiary heat as this trio gets, also providing Miskiewicz a rare moment in the spotlight. ECM has, in its 45-year history, created a number of particular emphases amongst its massive breadth of musical offerings, and one of them has been to take that most conventional of jazz ensembles, the piano trio, and push it into different directions that respect the tradition of American greats like Bill Evans, Herbie Hancock and, looking further back, Lennie Tristano, while encouraging it to incorporate music of other genres and cultures as, at the same time, it strives to assert a clear sense of modernity. Of the young piano trios it has encouraged over the years, the Marcin Wasilewski Trio may well be its longest-standing, and for good reason. Clearly, Wasilewski, Kurkiewicz and Miskiewicz are capable of working in other contexts—Wasilewski and Kurkiewicz, for example, working together on drummer Manu Katche's first two ECM dates, 2006's Neighbourhood and the 2007 followup, Playground—but it's equally clear that it's in the context of this trio that these three young Poles find the most freedom to explore as they please. With the addition of Milder on roughly half of this 74-minute program, the Marcin Wasilewski Trio has managed to retain its core strengths while adding something new to avoid any pitfalls of predictability. If the at once sublet yet intense Spark of Life is any evidence (along with Forever Young), it's a sure thing that this simpatico trio still has plenty up its collective sleeve to ensure no risk of that ever happening.

JOHN KELMAN  in All About Jazz

Gott Nytt Jazzår!

Långt innan den glada julen är slut, passar vi på att önska Ett Gott Nytt Jazzår och säger varmt välkommen till nya vänkvällar på Fasching!

Onsdag 22/1 kl 20:00 Daniel Karlsson Trio. Medlemspris för entré och kvällens Good Bait 350 kr. Denna kraftfulla och belönade trio - Jazzkatt, Gyllene Skiva, Grammis - kommer till Fasching med nya albumet Fuse Number Eleven.  Trion fortsätter att utforska gränserna kring jazz med Daniels dynamiska pianospel i centrum. Daniel Karlsson piano, Fredrik Rundqvist trummor, Christian Spering bas.

Tisdag 28/1 kl. 20:00 Sigurdardóttir/Schultz. Medlemspris för entré och kvällens Good Bait 335 kr. Nylonsträngad gitarr och flygel klingar väldigt fint tillsammans och blev utgångspunkten till en ny skiva där Anna Gréta Sigurðardóttir och Max Schultz möts i nordisk jazz, lyrisk och öppen för spontanitet, improvisatoriskt samspel samt vacker intimitet. Anna Gréta Sigurðardóttir piano (Faschings Vänners stipendiat 2018), Max Schultz gitarr, Joakim Milder saxofoner,  Christian Spering bas, Magnus Gran trummor.

Vänkvällarna är en bekväm förmån för dig som medlem - vi bokar bord och beställer en Good Bait som är kökets speciella middag för vännerna. Det enda du behöver göra är att anmäla dig till Eva Kubatzki, [email protected], eller sms/mobil 073-1431030, gör det senast 3 dagar före konsertstart, men helst med vändande post eftersom matplatserna är begränsade.  

Du är välkommen att bjuda med en gäst som betalar ordinarie entrépris, men äter och dricker till vänpriser. Entrén betalas i kassan vid ankomst, mat och dryck betalas vid bordet. Vi bekräftar din anmälan och vi ber alla vara på plats kl 18:30. Vid förhinder, meddela Eva så snabbt som möjligt. Representanter för styrelsen finns på plats med en deltagarförteckning och gör sitt bästa för att alla ska trivas tillsammans!  

Kommande vänkvällar som du redan nu är välkommen att anmäla dig till:

Söndag 2/2 Claire Martin och Martin Sjöstedt Trio

Söndag 9/2 Marc Copland Trio

Onsdag 12/2 Dölerud/Johansson Quintet

Torsdag 20/2 Walter Lang Trio

Marcin Wasilewski Trio w/ Joakim Milder - Spark Of Life

Marcin Wasilewski Trio w/ Joakim Milder – Spark Of Life

(ECM 379 2957)

The young Polish pianist and his compatriots, Slawomir Kurkiewicz on bass and Michal Miskiewicz on drums, have built a reputation, first in trumpeter Tomasz Stanko’s band and then as a trio, for quiet and melodic jazz with a warm heart. Here they are joined by a Swedish saxophonist from a marginally older age group, and he suits them a treat.

The programme shows a wide range of…

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Marcin Wasilewski Trio, Joakim Milder - Sparkle of Life (2014)

9/10

The Marcin Wasilewski Trio has managed to retain its core strengths while adding something new to avoid any pitfalls of predictability.

Joakim Milder: saxophone (2-4, 6, 8); Marcin Wasilewski: piano; Slawomir Kurkiewicz: double bass; Michal Miskiewicz: drums.