Any listener familiar with
Bobo Stenson's work knows that extensive range is a trademark on his records. Indicum is no exception. With longtime bassist
Anders Jormin and drummer
Jon Fält, he takes on works by
Bill Evans,
George Russell, contemporary sacred composition, free group improv, traditional hymns, and jazz reads of
Carl Nielsen on this 12-track set.
Stenson opens with a brief solo reading of
Evans' "Your Story," dedicated to the late
Paul Motian, who had held the drum chair on the
Trio's 2005 album,
Goodbye. It's elegant, emotive, and bears the hallmarks of
Stenson's sparse yet striking chords. "Indikon," the first of three group improvs, commences with
Fält's solo. The pianist enters with an abundant lyricism, weighted by
Jormin's slow, studied pulse. As the players engage and trade the foreground, an organic process emerges and begins its evolution. On "Indigo," dark minor keys emerge from the tune's body to create dramatic tension.
Jormin's low end adds a force to
Stenson's argument, but
Fält's shimmering cymbals and flat snare counter it all, creating balance. The set includes version of
Wolf Bierman's protest song "Ermutigung," which shimmers even as it swings; its melancholy overtones embraced and articulated fully in
Jormin's song-like solo. The inclusion of Argentinian composer
Ariel Ramirez's "La Peregrinacion" illustrates how subtle, even hidden aspects of rhythmic interplay are evoked inside this group's lyric improvisation. The other end of the folk spectrum is highlighted in the Norwegian traditional "Ave Maria." The sacred melody is pronounced, then shifted to find the margin. In its place, a haunting improvisation/dialogue illustrates the many harmonic possibilities in its formal architecture. Jormin's "Sol" is a fine vehicle for him and
Fält.
Stenson doesn't enter until two minutes into the conversation. When he does, it's via a series of carefully spaced triads that frame
Jormin's arco. Before the tune gels, it hints at post-bop without indulging it, yet its graceful sense of swing is implicit. Album-closer "Ubi Caritas" is a choral piece by contemporary composer
Ola Gjeilo. In intent, it walks a line between modern and medieval music. But
Stenson uses its structural evocation of plain chant in his chords and allows
Jormin a soprano-like quality with his bow.
Fält skeletally and spaciously accents it all, keeping the tune's mysterious quality intact. The
Stenson Trio is the rarest of bands, one that approaches its material as a series of queries to be summarily explored, rather than statements to be made. As such, Indicum succeeds in spades. ~ Thom Jurek