Home » Jazz Articles » Album Review » Phil Grenadier / Bruno Raberg Duo: Plunge
Phil Grenadier / Bruno Raberg Duo: Plunge
A collaborative effort by Swedish born bassist
Bruno Raberg
bass, acousticb.1954
On "Last Train To Seville," Grenadier overdubs his trumpet with it is own echo, simulating the locomotive's piercing horn but with a sense of angst and urgency, especially with R?berg slapping bass. The instrumentation also creates a nocturnal ambience, with R?berg's bass rolling like the train wheels. The smart contrast between Grenadier's unpredictable phrasing and R?berg's almost hypnotic vamp on "Sand Clock" is suggestive of the capricious yet unwavering rhythm of time's passage.
The centerpiece of the album, both in length and delivery—and the only standard—is a chagrined take of
Ornette Coleman
saxophone, alto1930 - 2015
The sound design occasionally is a tad too tedious, such as on the otherwise lilting "Ushas/Quadratic," featuring R?berg's guitar-like strumming. The futuristic "Triangulum," with its multiple trumpet antiphony and electronically enhanced bass lines, is another example.
The remainder of the session ranges from the melancholic, with vague Latin hints ("Moving Cycles"), to the contemplative ("Isomorphic"), where the duo mirrors each other. A few of the other tracks are far less memorable ("Area 51" or "Line and Sphere"), but remains interesting to avoid detracting from the overall effort, even though they do not add much to the thematic structure of the work.
Despite a very few rough spots, this is a courageous and delightful musical exploration. ">
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
trumpetPhil Grenadier: trumpet; Bruno R?berg: acoustic bass, sound design.
Album information
Title: Plunge | Year Released: 2012 | Record Label: Orbis Music
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