ANDRÉS THOR - Hereby
Losen: LOS269-2
Andrés Thor: guitar; Nicolas Moreaux: double bass; Magnus Trygvason Eliassen: drums
Recorded June 2021 by Birgir Jon Birgisson at Studio Sundlaughin in Iceland.
While the piano trio is so much a staple in the jazz canon, the guitar trio has its own illustrious history and covers as broad a range of musical styles. Thor is well versed in the history and legacy of these styles and effortlessly weaves these into a sound and style that is uniquely his own. The delicate tones, lightly spiced with a gentle vibrato, and sequences of warm chord make him an open and pleasant companion to guide us through the tunes. From the warmth of the chords, Thor’s cleanly picked melodies float and carry across the rhythm section. The album opens with the title track, in which Thor produces chords and arpeggios which ought to sound mutated and discordant but which, by sheer force of personality, seem to transform into shimmering and intriguing shapes. The bass solo which arises from this is particularly attractive and buoys Thor into a vibrant and stimulating sequence of solos that return to the opening motif but each time this is repeated to music seems to be drawn into a cleaner and more melodic version; as if the Thor has taken a broken object and, with the help of the trio, found a way to repair it and bring it to life. Throughout, this feeling of repair and rejuvenation was forefront for me as I listened to the ways in which this trio worked Thor’s compositions. At times, their presence is so subdued that they are like shadows that give form to his melodies. But this does not mean that they are negligible. Indeed, Eliassen’s languid brush work, particularly on ‘Stoisk’ (track 4) is the breath that lifts the guitar lines and gently coaxes these to a higher plane. Throughout I really enjoyed the crispness of the production which cleanly separated the depth of the bass from the brightness of the guitar, without losing the subtle interventions of the drums and cymbals. All in all a rich and rewarding take on the guitar trio and how it can deliver delightful, melodic jazz.
Reviewed by Chris Baber
Losen: LOS269-2
Andrés Thor: guitar; Nicolas Moreaux: double bass; Magnus Trygvason Eliassen: drums
Recorded June 2021 by Birgir Jon Birgisson at Studio Sundlaughin in Iceland.
While the piano trio is so much a staple in the jazz canon, the guitar trio has its own illustrious history and covers as broad a range of musical styles. Thor is well versed in the history and legacy of these styles and effortlessly weaves these into a sound and style that is uniquely his own. The delicate tones, lightly spiced with a gentle vibrato, and sequences of warm chord make him an open and pleasant companion to guide us through the tunes. From the warmth of the chords, Thor’s cleanly picked melodies float and carry across the rhythm section. The album opens with the title track, in which Thor produces chords and arpeggios which ought to sound mutated and discordant but which, by sheer force of personality, seem to transform into shimmering and intriguing shapes. The bass solo which arises from this is particularly attractive and buoys Thor into a vibrant and stimulating sequence of solos that return to the opening motif but each time this is repeated to music seems to be drawn into a cleaner and more melodic version; as if the Thor has taken a broken object and, with the help of the trio, found a way to repair it and bring it to life. Throughout, this feeling of repair and rejuvenation was forefront for me as I listened to the ways in which this trio worked Thor’s compositions. At times, their presence is so subdued that they are like shadows that give form to his melodies. But this does not mean that they are negligible. Indeed, Eliassen’s languid brush work, particularly on ‘Stoisk’ (track 4) is the breath that lifts the guitar lines and gently coaxes these to a higher plane. Throughout I really enjoyed the crispness of the production which cleanly separated the depth of the bass from the brightness of the guitar, without losing the subtle interventions of the drums and cymbals. All in all a rich and rewarding take on the guitar trio and how it can deliver delightful, melodic jazz.
Reviewed by Chris Baber
