Label: ECM Records
Personnel - Mark Turner: tenor saxophone; Mathias Eick: trumpet; Benjamin Lackner: piano; Linda May Han Oh: bass; Matthieu Chazarenc: drums.
German pianist and composer Benjamin Lackner assembled an outstanding quintet for his ECM sophomore album, Spindrift. Norwegian trumpeter Mathias Eick returns after appearing on Lackner’s debut album, Last Decade (2022), while American saxophonist Mark Turner and bassist Linda May Han Oh join as exceptional new contributors, enriching Lackner’s understated compositions with their nuanced artistry. French drummer Matthieu Chazarenc, a longtime collaborator, rounds out the group and contributes one piece to the album.
Lackner’s compositions are precisely mapped out, becoming quietly enveloping and lavishly unhurried, yet never elevated to exalted heights. There are moments of radiant beauty, like the title track, “Spindrift”, which transitions from a rubato meditation to a 7/4 rhythmic flow over which Lackner and Turner stretch out in a sheer display of finesse and delicacy.
Other highlights include Chazarenc’s spacious “Chambary”, where the horn players swoop around in tandem in a well-wrought delivery, and “Fair Warning”, which leans into enigmatic tones, built on nuanced bass pedal points and piano suspensions that provide a churning backdrop for the soloists.
Airiness and feather-like touches compose the soaring “Mosquito Flats”, introduced by tender pianism and buzzing bowed bass. Eick leads the way before dancing in unison with Turner’s saxophone, later trading a few bars of improvisation before rejoining forces and concluding in harmony. “More Mesa” retains the same melancholic introspection, weaving effortless, lyrical melodies with classical influences in the piano work, while the pseudo-cinematic “Murnau” feels more dolefully dramatic than figuratively expressionistic.
Anchored by its sensitive, subtle palette, Spindrift may not always feel exciting. It’s undoubtedly competent material whose subdued nature may leave one wishing for more intensity.
Favorite Tracks:
01 - Spindrift ► 04 - Chambary ► 07 - Fair Warning