COMPOSERS: Jakob Bro
LABELS: ECM
ALBUM TITLE: Jakob Bro
WORKS: Streams
PERFORMER: Jakob Bro (guitar), Thomas Morgan (double bass), Joey Baron (drums)
CATALOGUE NO: 478 1865
Gefion, Jakob Bro’s debut on the ECM label as leader, won prizes and critical plaudits for its all-enveloping soundscapes. So converts won’t be disappointed by Streams, another subtly textured piece of sonic sculpture designed by the Danish guitarist. He’s maintained his close relationship with the bassist Thomas Morgan and, to complete the snug effect, he’s brought in Morgan’s longtime associate Joey Baron on drums. The largely improvised programme, based on Bro tunes, is an exercise in restraint. ‘Heroines’, with it its intertwined bass and guitar, has an almost narcotic, pastoral melody.
The more abstract ‘PM Dream’, a tribute to the late Paul Motian, features Baron skittering across the toms and cymbals, crackling with energy. The sound palette is lightened for ‘Shell Pink’ as Bro unfurls a melody that Morgan gradually cleaves to. The brief, solo reprise of ‘Heroines’ is an opportunity to concentrate on Bro’s glowing sound and painstaking technique.
Garry Booth