MIKAEL MANI TRIO - Bobby
Smekkelysa: MM001CD
Mikael Mani Asmundsson: guitar; Skuli Sverisson: bass; Magnus Trygvason Eliassen: drums, vibraphone; David dor Davidsson: vibraphone (track 9)
Recorded by Birgir Jon Birgirsson at Sundlaugin.
Icelandic guitarist Mikael Mani and his trio have crafted a fascinating and beautifully compelling musical homage to chess genius Bobby Fischer. Given that Fischer’s 1972 chess match (against the Russian Boris Spassky) was at the height of the Cold War, there was international attention and much political mileage made of his win. That the match was held in Reykjavik and that Fischer returned here after his release from prison in Japan, gives some idea as to why he might hold some affinity for Mani. Given the many controversial statements that Fischer made and his erratic and unpredictable behaviour, there is much scope for taking the complexity of his life as a novel. Interestingly, Mani ends the set with a piece inspired by a novel by Japanese novelist Murakami.
Each of the pieces takes an aspect of Fischer’s life as its basis, and it is interesting to read the liner notes to put together a sense of the meaning of the tunes. But it is equally as enjoyable to listen to these simply as music. Mani has an elegant, thoughtful way of playing the guitar, with a slight twang but little by way of effects. The bass, on several occasions, is reminiscent of Herbie Flowers work on ‘Walk on the Wild Side’), as it slides up and down between guitar lines. This not only provides counterpoint to Mani’s lyrical and beautifully structured guitar playing but also adds to the sense that the songs are conveying a story which has its ‘wild side’. The trio settle into some charming grooves, shuffling along as the tunes develop their own logic, with the gently insistent snare and tom work to push the tunes along.
Reviewed by Chris Baber
Smekkelysa: MM001CD
Mikael Mani Asmundsson: guitar; Skuli Sverisson: bass; Magnus Trygvason Eliassen: drums, vibraphone; David dor Davidsson: vibraphone (track 9)
Recorded by Birgir Jon Birgirsson at Sundlaugin.
Icelandic guitarist Mikael Mani and his trio have crafted a fascinating and beautifully compelling musical homage to chess genius Bobby Fischer. Given that Fischer’s 1972 chess match (against the Russian Boris Spassky) was at the height of the Cold War, there was international attention and much political mileage made of his win. That the match was held in Reykjavik and that Fischer returned here after his release from prison in Japan, gives some idea as to why he might hold some affinity for Mani. Given the many controversial statements that Fischer made and his erratic and unpredictable behaviour, there is much scope for taking the complexity of his life as a novel. Interestingly, Mani ends the set with a piece inspired by a novel by Japanese novelist Murakami.
Each of the pieces takes an aspect of Fischer’s life as its basis, and it is interesting to read the liner notes to put together a sense of the meaning of the tunes. But it is equally as enjoyable to listen to these simply as music. Mani has an elegant, thoughtful way of playing the guitar, with a slight twang but little by way of effects. The bass, on several occasions, is reminiscent of Herbie Flowers work on ‘Walk on the Wild Side’), as it slides up and down between guitar lines. This not only provides counterpoint to Mani’s lyrical and beautifully structured guitar playing but also adds to the sense that the songs are conveying a story which has its ‘wild side’. The trio settle into some charming grooves, shuffling along as the tunes develop their own logic, with the gently insistent snare and tom work to push the tunes along.
Reviewed by Chris Baber
