Label: Gateway Music, 2020
Personnel - Michael Dalgas: drums; Lars Fiil: piano, Wurlitzer; Jasper Jagd: double bass.
The trio of Danish drummer/composer Michael Dalgas - with Lars Fiil on piano and Jasper Jagd on bass - releases its debut album, Death of a Tree, which comprises ten original compositions. The lingering and spacious qualities of late drummer Paul Motian's music are an inspiration here and there’s even a tribute piece to him called “Motian”, which captures the airiness and intrinsic uncertainty for what his compositions are known. Harmonic suspensions, some ambiguity within the contemplative melodic lines, and a confident, slowly cooked drum solo are some of the ingredients in this recipe.
The great majority of the tunes share a longing quality that tonally marries the lyrical to the wintry. Cuts like “The Hunguenot’s Song” and “Momento Mori” get some inducement from Dalgas’ scintillating brushwork. The melodic wistfulness of the former starts off with the piano/bass unisons that reside in the theme, while in the latter, you’ll find a reflective tranquility designed with a Michel Legrand-balladic weight in 5/4 tempo.
One of the loveliest ballads in this catalog is “Tranquillo”, an unpretentious ride that veers into straight waltz before a nice piano solo is put on display. Additionally, there’s “D.C.”, a languishingly brushed piece with a pop-jazz immediacy that would be equally suitable for Tom Waits or Frank Sinatra to sing.
The trio mounts “Postludium” with a direct approach, conferring it an immutable flow that comes from a conspicuous cross-stick beat, sparse bass imprints, and chords saturated with sustain that almost seem to bend. In turn, “Flux” flows like a bolero, emphasizing Fiil’s Wurlitzer within a romantic atmosphere.
All three musicians attempt to go beyond the brumal moods on “Rain Song”, whose pop/rock circularity recalls The Doors, and especially on “Journey”, the album's closing and longest track, which is moderately stirred by a bass groove and a Latin pulse.
Evoking panoptic views, the threesome delicately explore its boundaries. Even though it feels somewhat conservative in specific sections, this work has its moments.
Grade B-
Favorite Tracks:
04 - Motian ► 05 - D.C. ► 09 - Tranquillo