Llyria
(ECM 274 2820)
The Swiss pianist has been causing quite a stir with his zen funk, and this third Ronin disc for ECM broadens the scope of the band and its unique sound.
The tightly wound, urgent pulses and interlocking riffs are still there but now they relax and open out for periods, before tightening again. This gives saxophonist Sha more room to move, and the contrasts of main theme and interlude also serve to heighten the delight in both tension and release.
I was lucky enough to witness a live performance by the band at St George’s in Bristol on their last visit to England, and it really was an extraordinary experience, combining all the intellectual stimulation of jazz with all the visceral excitement of the most subtle funk. Hard to describe how satisfying is the result of complex music that demands such discipline that when it works – and it certainly works stupendously well with Bartsch in charge – all the constraints imposed upon it seem to fall away and the music just soars like a flock of migrating birds.
Or, in an analogy Bartsch used, the band is like a school of fish moving across a coral reef at lightning speed.
Whether feathers or scales are involved, the results are generously appealing and, with this more wide-ranging album, Ronin should build an even more diverse audience. The recording also gives the music great depth and breadth, resonance and sonic richness.
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