Search - Bobo Stenson Trio :: Serenity

Minimalist Jazz

v staplehurst | Shrewsbury, Shropshire United Kingdom | 07/11/2000

(4 out of 5 stars)

"A new double ECM release of deeply melodic, minimalist jazz by Bobo Stenson (piano) along with john Christensen (Drums) and Anders Jormin (Bass). This disc can also be favourably compared with Peter Erskine's recent releases also on the ECM Label. Taking the jazz piano trio to the next plateau ..... piano, bass and drums interact, sometimes as an ensemble in tracks such as "Swee Pea" or "Polska Of Despair", other times working in an organic mode with shifting textures and changing rhythms.... check out "West Print" , "North Print etc. As well as compositions by leader Stenson, the trio have also created new sound structures from works by Wayne Shorter (Swee Pea), Alban Berg (Die Nachtigall) and Charles Ives (Serenity) the beautiful and haunting title track. As with all ECM's albums, the recording is meticulous and full of detail, listen to the way the drums are recorded with a stroke on the cymbal sounding like a rush of wind. The overall sound gives an impression of an ensemble much more than a sum of it's parts. I recommend this disc to all those who loved Keith Jarrett's European Recordings, to lovers of Ravel and Debussy, Hindemith and John Cage. Manfred Eicher's label has once again given us the best that the jazz and classical world can offer."

A different sort of soul music

Mr. Stuart Robert Harris | Bradford-on-Avon, UK | 12/16/2003

(5 out of 5 stars)

"How did you come to be checking out Bobo Stenson? Assuming that you didn't stumble onto this page while looking for Bobo the clown, the fact that you're here means that you're one of those out-of-the-ordinary musical explorers rather than one of the mainstream many who stick to the safe highways of easy-on-the-ear music. And I bet you're one of those inquisitive types who actually reads the liner notes and takes note of who plays what on which tracks.So you're probably the sort of person who has the discrimination to recognize outstanding musicians, and the patience to listen to what they're doing. "Serenity" will reward you richly. I first came across the great Bobo on Charles Lloyd's excellent "Fish out of water", bought on the strength of a Q-magazine recommendation years ago. And maybe 10 years after first buying it I was listening again and was intrigued by the piano playing. By this time Amazon.com was doing its stuff and I was able to check whether there were any Bobo Stenson recordings. Hey presto, "Serenity". One click and it was done.On several tracks I found the sound that had first intrigued me - the opening "T", "El Mayor" and "Golden Rain" for example. But a number of others were too abstract for my liking and the CD languished at the bottom of the pile for a couple of years, until I once again felt a yen for that sound.Since then I've played this double CD through endlessly, including all the more abstract pieces. The beauty of the music and the playing has gradually revealed itself. Initially it tends to remind people of Keith Jarrett, probably because he's become the standard reference for ECM-type piano. But the sensibility is different. Certainly Stenson has an easily accessible sweetly lyrical vein, but the reward is in finding out just how different he is.Thank you Bobo Stenson, Anders Jormin and Jon Christensen for opening my ears just that little wider. When's the next CD?"

Pure, Serene, austere

rash67 | USA | 02/15/2001

(3 out of 5 stars)

"Although I normally prefer jazz with more melody, I find this CD quite compelling. As is stated elsewhere, the music is abstract. I always felt the classical composer Sibelius produced Impressionist music. Frozen Impressionism. Mr Stenson's Trio from Sweden also seems to be playing abstract jazz music somehow reflective of Frozen Impressionism. I can only describe this music through impressions. I see lonely, dark, frozen fjords and evergreen forests and brooding clouds and fogs. Pure, serene and austere. But they play amazingly well together, like Bill Evans, Scott LaFaro and Paul Motian, they read each other's minds and the bass and drums are an integral part of the sound.Some of it is noisy, but most of it is peaceful, well structured, cerebral and almost borders on the classical, and for me, that's good.Solitary, late night listening!Well recorded."