Swiss piano trio
Divr
(pronounced "diver") have been around for some time, but
Is This Water
, appearing from Helsinki's
We Jazz
label, is their debut album. Pianist
Philipp Eden
, double bassist
Raphael Walser
, and drummer
Jonas Ruther
offer a mysterious approach to the jazz piano trio. Their musical practice is real-time composing -- the piano doesn't lead -- in mostly acoustic improvisations that loop organically, without quite repeating. They play in multidirectional time simultaneously yet manage to flow and land together. In real-time composition, each player's strengths and technical and stylistic idiosyncrasies are displayed, channeled, and amplified in the creative process. The finished product is usually elegant, intricate, and mysterious.
On set opener "As of Now" a two-chord piano vamp -- that eerily recalls the first two chords of
Joe Jackson
's "Steppin' Out" -- is anchored by a rumbling, seemingly random bassline offering accents and detuned riffs under an irregularly pulsed rim-shot snare and sundry other kit elements (whispering cymbals, a shimmering hi-hat, a syncopated kick drum, etc.). While
Eden
continues to play those chords, he adds unusual harmonies by plucking the piano's strings, amplifying the pedals, and using ambient electronics to fill the backdrop before the tune abruptly ends. "Upeksha" sounds as if it begins in the middle. A two-note piano vamp is embellished by strategically placed cymbals, tom-tom, and snare emerging behind
Ruther
's attractive rhythmic statement. It opens up the entire track, inspiring expansive chord voicings, drifting electronics, and
Walser
's elliptical, imaginative, meaty bassline. What becomes obvious is that each tune contains a core loop that embellishes a bright turn of phrase that makes it unique.
apply this approach to covers too. "Supreme Sweetness" is a radically re-envisioned take on the ballad standard "Sweet and Lovely," by
Gus Arnheim
,
Charles N. Daniels
, and
Harry Tobias
. It's rendered almost bouncy as the opening progression gets chopped up, turned in on itself, and expanded, becoming something else entirely. "Tea High" commences sparsely but gradually evokes post-bop. "VHS Tomorrow" employs found field recordings amid sustained piano chords and electronic drones.
Radiohead
's "All I Need," rather than being introduced by melodic drones, establishes
's piano offering blissed-out, augmented chords that unfold one note at a time. Its lyric melody, played at a slightly quicker tempo, emerges like a fantasia amid staggered rhythms and an alternate bassline melody.
Broadcast
's "Echo's Answer" is introduced by a bowed upright bass, droning white noise, and a clipped rim-shot snare.
leave out the original's glitchy stops as
harmoniously ratchets up the tension and mirrors it to the rhythm section.
, with all its mystery, evidences the arrival of a compelling new piano trio on the 21st century jazz scene. While they don't sound the same, their engaging aesthetic should qualitatively appeal to fans of
the Necks
, countryman
Nik Bärtsch
E.S.T.
~ Thom Jurek