Sunday, March 14, 2021

Thomas Strønen / Ayumi Tanaka / Marthe Lea - Bayou (April 9, 2021 ECM)

A fresh and open music, delicate and space-conscious, is shaped as drummer Thomas Strønen and Ayumi Tanaka, previously heard in the ensemble Time Is A Blind Guide on Lucus, resurface in a new trio with clarinettist/singer/percussionist Marthe Lea. The group first came together at Oslo’s Royal Academy of Music, where for two years the players would meet each week for exploratory music making. Strønen: “We always played freely- drifting between elements of contemporary classical music, folk music, jazz, whatever we were inspired by. Sometimes the music was very quiet and minimalistic: playing together generated some special experiences.”

The spontaneous spirit of the music is reflected in the trio’s debut recording, which was made at the Lugano radio studio and produced by Manfred Eicher. With the exception of the title piece, based on a traditional Norwegian tune, the music on Bayou was collectively created in the moment.

1. BAYOU 05:38
2. PASHA 06:28
3. DURYEA 03:37
4. NAHLA 03:44
5. VARSHA 04:04
6. EYRE 04:27
7. DWYN 04:14
8. BAYOU II 01:01
9. COMO 03:03

Thomas Strønen - Drums, Percussion
Ayumi Tanaka - Piano
Marthe Lea - Clarinet, Vocal, Percussion