STEFAN AEBY TRIO – To The Light
Intakt CD 274
Stefan Aeby: piano; Andre Pousaz: double bass; Michi Stulz: drums
Recorded November 19th and 20th, 2015, at Idée und Klang Studio, Basel.
It is no coincidence that the titles of the tracks are written in lower case on the CD cover and liner notes; it is as if the brashness of capital letters would draw unwanted attention to the words or break the gently low-key murmuring of quietly spoken words. There is a modesty in the playing that spurns brashness and favours an understated but genuine feel for exploring the potential of each of the instruments. Coupled with the gentleness of the playing, the composition works with subtle shifts of simple lines. Each piece here glows with the beautifully crafted mix that Daniel Dettwiler has used to pull out even the gentlest sounds from the instruments. An arco bass, a shimmering cymbal or a rumbling drum create the landscape across which Aeby’s piano lines prowl.
The title of this collection invokes a moving from a shadowy space into the open and this, for me, is an apt metaphor for the ways in which the title piece develops from a languid opening towards an exuberant close through Aeby’s simple piano melody and pulsing left-hand rhythm. Across the pieces, there is a sprinkling of electronica or some sounds that have the quality of a prepared piano, but these are incorporated into the mix to such an extent that they are additional instruments rather than mere sound effects. At times these sounds move towards the subliminal, drawing the listener into the spaces that the compositions create.
This is a form of ambient music that delights in the playing of instruments (rather than the making of sounds as one might find in some of the more banal recordings that have hijacked the word ‘ambient’). This is music that relishes the gently developed but emotionally intense power of a controlled mastery of instruments.
Reviewed by Chris Baber
Intakt CD 274
Stefan Aeby: piano; Andre Pousaz: double bass; Michi Stulz: drums
Recorded November 19th and 20th, 2015, at Idée und Klang Studio, Basel.
It is no coincidence that the titles of the tracks are written in lower case on the CD cover and liner notes; it is as if the brashness of capital letters would draw unwanted attention to the words or break the gently low-key murmuring of quietly spoken words. There is a modesty in the playing that spurns brashness and favours an understated but genuine feel for exploring the potential of each of the instruments. Coupled with the gentleness of the playing, the composition works with subtle shifts of simple lines. Each piece here glows with the beautifully crafted mix that Daniel Dettwiler has used to pull out even the gentlest sounds from the instruments. An arco bass, a shimmering cymbal or a rumbling drum create the landscape across which Aeby’s piano lines prowl.
The title of this collection invokes a moving from a shadowy space into the open and this, for me, is an apt metaphor for the ways in which the title piece develops from a languid opening towards an exuberant close through Aeby’s simple piano melody and pulsing left-hand rhythm. Across the pieces, there is a sprinkling of electronica or some sounds that have the quality of a prepared piano, but these are incorporated into the mix to such an extent that they are additional instruments rather than mere sound effects. At times these sounds move towards the subliminal, drawing the listener into the spaces that the compositions create.
This is a form of ambient music that delights in the playing of instruments (rather than the making of sounds as one might find in some of the more banal recordings that have hijacked the word ‘ambient’). This is music that relishes the gently developed but emotionally intense power of a controlled mastery of instruments.
Reviewed by Chris Baber
