That’s another one great avant-garde jazz album, which was recorded by a duo – Elisabeth Harnik (piano) and Joelle Leandre (bass). These two avant-garde jazz musicians are famous and active members of contemporary avant-garde jazz scene. Both of them have interesting, specific and unique playing style, which is based on colorful musical language, expressive and sudden stylistic turns and huge amount of different musical expressions. Elisabeth Harnik and Joelle Leandre are experienced and creative improvisers – both of them had improvised together with many other famous jazz masters. Avant-garde jazz, bebop, post-bop, hard-bop, experimental music, soft intonations of academic avant-garde and contemporary academical music – all these elements are gently synthesized together in one place.
Creative and fascinating sound experiments, impressive and original musical decisions, rich, evocative and expressive musical language, vivacious, energetic and free improvisations, filled with spontaneous and rapid solos – all these elements are the basics of their improvisations. This album is a great opportunity to hear two outstanding jazz masters playing together.
“Tender Music” has evocative, innovative and interesting sound. The improvisations are always changing, they are based on many different styles, manners, expressions and the opposite episodes, which are highly contrasting with each other. Both musicians are improvising masterfully and splendidly – they fuse together colorful and sudden stylistic twists, expressive and spontaneous solos, rapid and acitve collective improvisations, subtle and abstract pieces, turbulent and dramatic culminations and many other elements. Elisabeth Harnik piano improvisations are based on contrasts and unusual musical decisions. Different moods, expressions, characters and other elements of musical language are connected in her improvisations. Piano improvisations are especially expressive, free, spontaneous, creative and vivacious.
Rapid, wild fast and furious solos, harsh and loud separate dissonances, virtuosic and rapid passages, passionate and touching solos, vivacious and playful or very rigorous and sharp episodes – Elisabeth Harnik really knows how to connect all these contrasting music elements in effective and passionate way. Her playing is always balancing between various playing techniques, specific manners and expressions. Rapid, sharp and dynamic solos, which are based on bebop and hard-bop finally grow to dramatic, loud, powerful and vibrant collective improvisations with spontaneeous, expressive and emotional solos.
Her music is balancing somewhere between expressive, playful, joyful and energetic improvisations and abstract, subtle and silent improvisations. Joelle Leandre bass improvisations also is the set of experimental playing techniques, various moods, emotions and chords, special effects, unusual timbres, strange sounds and evocative musical decisions. She can silmunateously use various and experimental ways of playing – huge range of experimental and extraordinary playing techniques are gently connected together with pizzicatto, glissando, portato and many others traditional and very well-known ways of playing. Her playing also is very colorful and contrasting – from the silent, meditative, nostalgic and soft sound this music suddenly gets to dramatic, rapid, vibrant, deep and dynamic solos. Passionate and expressive melodies are conected together dynamic rhythmic and harmony. Rich, colorful and impressive improvising, passionate solos, masterful and creative jazz masters, evocative musical language – all these elements make an effort to interesting and innovative sound.
Elisabeth Harnik - piano
Joëlle Léandre - bass
Mastered - Jean Marc Foussat
Artwork - Lasse Marhaug
Linernotes - Ken Vandermark
1 Ear Area I
2 Ear Area II
3 Ear Area I
4 Ear Area IV
5 Ear Area V
6 Ear Area VI
