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Phil Grenadier / Bruno Raberg Duo: Plunge

By Florence Wetzel
August 14, 2012
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Phil Grenadier / Bruno Raberg Duo: Plunge

Plunge is a captivating CD that features the formidable duo of bassist

Bruno Raberg

bass, acoustic
b.1954

" data-original-title="" title="">Bruno Raberg and trumpeter

" data-original-title="" title="">Phil Grenadier. Each musician brings to the table their unique background and decades of experience: R?berg hails from Sweden, and in his twenties he played with the cream of Swedish jazz musicians, including trombonist

Eje Thelin

trombone
b.1938

" data-original-title="" title="">Eje Thelin, pianist

Bobo Stenson

piano
b.1944

" data-original-title="" title="">Bobo Stenson and renowned singer

Monica Zetterlund

vocals
1937 - 2005

" data-original-title="" title="">Monica Zetterlund. With the magic of Scandinavian jazz firmly in his bones, R?berg emigrated to America in the early eighties, and since that time has played with top-notch musicians such as multi-instrumentalist

Sam Rivers

saxophone, tenor
1923 - 2011

" data-original-title="" title="">Sam Rivers, drummer

Matt Wilson

drums
b.1964

" data-original-title="" title="">Matt Wilson and keyboardist

John Medeski

organ, Hammond B3
b.1965

" data-original-title="" title="">John Medeski.

Born in San Francisco, Grenadier is one of the famed Grenadier brothers, along with bassist

Larry Grenadier

bass, acoustic
b.1966

" data-original-title="" title="">Larry Grenadier and guitarist Steve. At age 17 he was voted "Best Jazz Soloist" by Downbeat magazine, and throughout his career he has played with an illustrious roster of musicians, including everyone from singer

Ella Fitzgerald

vocals
1917 - 1996

" data-original-title="" title="">Ella Fitzgerald and pianist

Kenny Barron

piano
b.1943

" data-original-title="" title="">Kenny Barron to bassist

Steve Swallow

bass
b.1940

" data-original-title="" title="">Steve Swallow.

It's hard to go wrong with two artists of such high caliber, and indeed, Plunge finds both musicians at the top of their game. The CD offers nineteen pieces, ranging from forty-five seconds to six-and-a-half minutes. The centerpiece is a sensitive rendition of saxophonist

Ornette Coleman

saxophone, alto
1930 - 2015

" data-original-title="" title="">Ornette Coleman's "Lonely Woman"; according to R?berg's liner notes, the inspiration for the CD came after playing this tune in a quartet that included Grenadier: "I 'heard' a rich, erratic, and busy soundscape in which the beautiful melody would live. I saw images of desolate streets and a lonely person's inner turmoil, conflicting emotions, and despair. The melody symbolizes the person's heart and soul, which is striving to survive." The duo's take on this classic song is absolutely piercing, and its use of electronic effects to amplify and distort the instruments adds to the song's haunting atmosphere.

The remainder of the songs are duo improvisations, which draw from the heart of Coleman's tune and offer deeply felt musical contemplations. Standouts include the gorgeous "Last Train to Seville," where R?berg's powerful bass creates a drone that Grenadier dances on top of and dives through. "Five Short Pieces" is a suite of musical haiku whose elliptical contours possess a refreshing sparseness, while "Ushas/Quadratic" has elements of free funk, with a deliciously ominous feeling throughout. Mention must also be made of the compelling double duos on "Area 51," "Triangulum," and "Quadratic," where the pair recorded improvisations, and then improvised again over those tracks, yielding multi-layered music full of fascinating depth.

Throughout the CD, each musician plays with remarkable clarity, and R?berg's inventive sound-design stretches the music into intriguing sonic shapes. A beautiful work that covers a tremendous amount of ground, Plunge is fearless, honest and unpredictable; maybe this is the "plunge" of the title, the brave dive that both musicians take into the unknown land of improvisation, as well as the fragile interior of the human heart.

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Track Listing

Reveille; Last Train to Seville; Five Short Pieces: Seiryuu- Azure Dragon, Byakko - White Tiger, Suzaku - Vermillion Bird, Genbu - Black Tortoise, Ouryu - Yellow Dragon; Lonely Woman; Heartwood; Ushas/Quadratic; Intersections I - IV: Part 1 - Moving Cycles, Part 2 - Line and Sphere, Part 3 - Sand Clock, Part 4 - Isomorphic; Area 51; The Outermost Island; Triangulum; Lizrael; Intersections V: Part 5 - Being and Time.

Personnel

Phil Grenadier

trumpet

Phil Grenadier: trumpet; Bruno R?berg: acoustic bass, sound design.

Album information

Title: Plunge | Year Released: 2012 | Record Label: Orbis Music

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