Deceptively
minimalist
and surprisingly indebted to
Carla Bley
's composition
"Reactionary Tango,"
each of bassist
Hannes Enzlberger
's loosely constructed pieces builds on the
tango
as a prototype. The writing is refreshingly devoid of cliche (except when used as irony), and through subtle nuance lays a carpet of atmospheric layers that are spellbinding in their originality. The hand of the label's artistic director,
Franz Koglmann
, is clearly evident, and if you close your eyes you might confuse fluegelhornist
Thomas Berghammer
's delicate tone with that of
Koglmann
. This is program music, in that every other piece is a take on the
, interspersed with freely improvised selections for solo, duo, and trio. Although
Enzlberger
wrote all the
numbers,
Berghammer
, who is the only horn, is the dominant voice as his breathy, spare, and light timbres infuse the music with a deep and golden loveliness. Every now and then he breaks forth with a growl (for example, on
"Tango 5"
) or with a startlingly ferocious distorted run (hear him on
"Duo 1"
with
), but the fluegelhornist is more likely to sing through his horn with simple beauty than to mesmerize with technique -- although it still good to know that he has the chops to do what he wants.
Otto Lechner
is a treat to hear, as he chooses his notes carefully, and uses silence and a pre-
bop
sentiment to explore hidden roots. ~ Steven Loewy