Thomas Stronen - Time Is A Blind Guide (2015) [Official Digital Download 24bit/96kHz]

"Time Is A Blind Guide" is both the title of this debut album and the name of Thomas Strønen’s Norwegian-British ensemble. In contrast to Strønen’s previous electronic work, TIABG is an all-acoustic group playing what its drummer-leader-composer calls "melodic music with a twist". Its melodies unfurl sinuously over shifting rhythmic patterns, incorporating a number of overlapping musical subgroups. On several songs Strønen is joined by two guest percussionists, who assert strong and solid grooves, allowing Strønen to play freely on top of the rhythms and to interact dynamically with outstanding young English pianist Kit Downes.

Late Junction broadcaster Fiona Talkington’s enthusiasm for Norwegian percussionist Thomas Strønen led to this commission for him to invent a new Norway/UK lineup and compose for it. Thus British pianist Kit Downes and his improv/classical cello partner Lucy Railton join five Norwegians for an unusual brew of jazz piano, northern-European laments, gamelan and African-influenced grooves from three percussionists. Downes’s fluent avant-swing, alongside Strønen and bassist Ole Morten Vågan, creates the impression of a jazz piano trio finding itself in a room with an ethereal strings-and-drums chamber group, and though some of it is slow and impressionistic, it’s often jazzy and songlike, too. There are warmly acoustic, all-percussion interludes, tone-bending violin passages, and, on the title track, a rocking folk melody and Jarrettish improv against muscular, tone-rich drumming. If crossover means anything, this is a fascinating example.

Tracklist:

01 - The Stone Carriers
02 - Tide
03 - Everything Disappears I
04 - Pipa
05 - I Don't Wait For Anyone
06 - The Drowned City
07 - Lost Souls
08 - Everything Disappears II (Ode To JT)
09 - Time Is A Blind Guide
10 - As We Wait For Time
11 - Simples

Produced by Thomas Stranen and Sun Chung. Engineer: Jan Erik Kongshaug
Recorded June 2015 Rainbow Studio, Oslo. Mixed July 2015 in Oslo by Jan Erik Kongshaug, Sun Chung, Thomas Stronen.
Mastering: Christoph Stickel at MSM Studios, Munchen.

Musicians:
Thomas Strønen: drums and percussion
Kit Downes: piano
Håkon Aase: violin
Ole Morten Vågan: bass
Lucy Railton: cello
Siv Øyunn Kjenstad: percussion (on tracks 1-7-9-10)
Steinar Mossige: percussion (on tracks 1-2-7-9-10)


Thanks to the Original customer!