Arild Andersen Lifelines 1981 [ecm 1188]

Markus Stockhausen, Vangelis Katsoulis and Arild Andersen will release their new album ACROSS MOUNTAINS on February 4th, 2022 at o-tone music/Edel Kultur. German trumpeter Markus Stockhausen, Greek pianist Vangelis Katsoulis and Norwegian bassist Arild Andersen have known each other since 1996 when they met at a concert in Athens. ACROSS MOUNTAINS was founded in a time when traveling and concerts were impossible.

Pianist-composer Yelena Eckemoff adds another link to her chain of thoughtful concept albums with Nocturnal Animals, which her own L&H Production imprint will release on January 24. True to its title, the double album features 14 musical impressions of the creatures that rule the night. The pieces are brought to life by a quartet that places Eckemoff alongside bassist Arild Andersen and drummers Jon Christensen and Thomas Strønen.

Norwegian bassist Andersen's reputation in Europe over the decades is well established. He has appeared on a number of significant recordings, most notably Jan Garbarek's SAGN, and with his own iconoclastic ensemble Masqualero. IF YOU LOOK FAR ENOUGH distills those past endeavors into a most atmospheric, spacious outing. The more traditional elements of Andersen's heritage meet face-to-face with a profoundly European free-jazz sensibility.

"Achirana" marks the debut of a new trio, formed by ECM bassist of the first hour Arild Andersen and featuring, alongside veteran drummer John Marshall, Greek pianist Vassilis Tsabropoulos in his first recording for ECM. Likely to be hailed as a veritable 'discovery' in jazz circles, Tsabropoulos has long been recognised as an exceptionally gifted performer in other idioms. To quote Vladimir Ashkenazy, "Vassilis Tsabropoulos possesses rare talent". He has a reputation as a classical pianist, an interpreter of 19th and 20th century music, and as a conductor, and there is growing recognition for both his composing and his improvising.

John Surman (on baritone, soprano, bass clarinet and synthesizer) meets up with drummer Jack DeJohnette (who also plays congas and electric piano) for this typically introspective and spacy ECM set. Surman's playing (especially on baritone and bass clarinet) during nine group originals is worth hearing.

He has the technique, he has the ideas, and the creativity to beguile and easily sustain interest for a whole album. Sideman to master sax player/composer Jan Garbarek, and bass player composer Eberhard Weber, he is the perfect european jazz pianist.

Arild Andersen's trio emphasises the writing and playing of Greek pianist Vassilis Tsabropoulos, whose melodic improvising and sense of form are influenced by his background as a classical musician. Tsabropoulos's tunes, and his arrangement of Ravel here, cast the jazz ‘piano trio’ genre in another light - as do his contributions to Andersen’s pieces and the collective improvisation “European Triangle". Arild Andersen's driving bass and John Marshall's inventive drums give the music its sense of propulsion.