Thursday, February 11, 2016

Michel Benita Ethics - River Silver (2016)



Michel Benita is the Algiers-born double-bassist who has been an influential recent collaborator with Andy Sheppard, but though River Silver has a Sheppard-like songlike warmth, it’s a more world-folkish venture. It features the zither-like Japanese koto, atmospheric electronics (from another Sheppard sideman, Norwegian guitarist Eivind Aarset), and the mellifluous sound of Swiss flugelhornist Matthieu Michel. A quiet snare tattoo, sturdy bass countermelody and airy flugel lines mix eloquently on the dreamily cruising Back from the Moon, while the brass sound on I See Altitudes suggests 80s Miles Davis of his Tutu/Amandla era with a sleepwalking momentum instead of funk; and Aarset’s guitar builds an intensifying rockish groove on the initially purring, koto-driven Off the Coast. Yeavening is a yearning ballad for Michel’s voicelike flugel; Mieko Miyazaki’s koto feature is a lyrical sway with Benita in close attendance; and Snowed In a spacily affecting finale. It has a tranquillisingly warm-bath feel at times, but the melodies are seductive, and very delicately unfolded.


1. Back From The Moon (Composed By – Michel Benita) 5:49
2. River Silver (Composed By – Michel Benita) 4:37
3. I See Altitudes (Composed By – Michel Benita) 5:54
4. Off The Coast (Composed By – Michel Benita) 6:13
5. Yeavering (Composed By – Kathryn Tickell) 3:46
6. Toonari (Composed By – Michel Benita) 5:58
7. Hacihi Gatsu (Composed By – Mieko Miyazaki) 4:43
8. Lykken (Composed By – Eyvind Alnæs) 6:02
9. Snowed In (Composed By – Michel Benita) 6:21

Design – Sascha Kleis
Double Bass – Michel Benita
Drums – Philippe Garcia
Engineer – Stefano Amerio
Flugelhorn – Matthieu Michel
Guitar, Electronics – Eivind Aarset
Koto – Mieko Miyazaki
Photography By [Cover Photo] – Woong Chul An
Photography By [Liner Photo (7)] – Charles Moraz
Photography By [Liner Photos] – Dániel Vass
Producer [Produced By] – Manfred Eicher

Recorded April 2015
Auditorio Stelio Molo RSI, Lugano

An ECM Production

In collaboration with RSI Rete Due, Lugano
Thanks to Paolo Keller

℗ © 2016 ECM Records GmbH, München


JAVI