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Martin Fabricius Trio: Under The Same Sky

By Chris May
May 4, 2019
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Martin Fabricius Trio: Under The Same Sky

The vibraphone has come a long way—technically and aesthetically—since

Lionel Hampton

vibraphone
1908 - 2002

" data-original-title="" title="">Lionel Hampton used it in a short, improvised introduction to

Louis Armstrong

trumpet and vocals
1901 - 1971

" data-original-title="" title="">Louis Armstrong's "Confessin,'" recorded with

" data-original-title="" title="">Les Hite's band in 1930. Back then, it was regarded primarily as a percussion instrument, and it is still categorized as tuned-percussion in the classical music world. Hampton was the first musician to give (almost) as much attention to harmony and melody as he did to rhythm when he was a featured soloist with the

Benny Goodman

clarinet
1909 - 1986

" data-original-title="" title="">Benny Goodman Sextet in the mid 1930s. This may or not qualify Hampton as the first harmolodic jazz musician, but we can debate that on another occasion.

Meanwhile, fast-forwarding through swing musicians such as

Red Norvo

vibraphone
1908 - 1999

" data-original-title="" title="">Red Norvo, boppers such as

Milt Jackson

vibraphone
1923 - 1999

" data-original-title="" title="">Milt Jackson, hard boppers such as

Bobby Hutcherson

vibraphone
1941 - 2016

" data-original-title="" title="">Bobby Hutcherson, fusionists such as

Gary Burton

vibraphone
b.1943

" data-original-title="" title="">Gary Burton and jazz-funksters such as

Roy Ayers

vibraphone
1940 - 2025

" data-original-title="" title="">Roy Ayers—each of whom added further degrees of elegance to the original percussive template—we arrive in the new millennium and understated, nuanced players such as Denmark's

Martin Fabricius

vibraphone
b.1972

" data-original-title="" title="">Martin Fabricius.

Under The Same Sky is Fabricius' third album with his trio and it is, in his own words, "simple, calm and unflashy." To which a fourth word can be added: delightful. A practitioner of tai chi, Fabricius migrates the technique of meditation-through-movement to music. Clarinetist

Tony Scott

clarinet
1921 - 2007

" data-original-title="" title="">Tony Scott tried a similar thing with Music For Zen Meditation (Verve, 1965). A ludicrous title, as it happens, since zen meditation practice eschews the use of any focus point whatsoever. And Scott's album was, frankly, little more than a harbinger of new-age noodling. Under The Same Sky, on the other hand, has muscle and substance. The muscle is implied rather than made explicit, rather as tai chi is the non-martial equivalent of kung fu, but it is there—in the metres and phrasing Fabricius employs and in drummer Jacob Hatholt's preference for sticks over brushes. There are also real, hummable melodies to enjoy.

A quietly uplifting 45 minutes of music, Under The Same Sky is probably too subtle to initiate mental relaxation. To appreciate it you really need to be halfway there already. Then it hits the spot.

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Track Listing

Ascension Day; Little Africa; Twilight; Air; Mornnig Child; Spirit Song; Under The Same Sky; Before The Rain; Earth Song.

Personnel

Martin Fabricius

vibraphone

Martin Fabricius: vibraphone; Andreas Markus: double bass; Jacob Hatholt: drums.

Album information

Title: Under The Same Sky | Year Released: 2018 | Record Label: Berthold Records

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