Label: RareNoise, 2018

Personnel - Joshua Trinidad: trumpet; Jacob Young: guitars; Stale Liavik Solberg: drums.

Joshua Trinidad, a virtuosic trumpeter based in Denver, joins forces with a distinctive Norwegian rhythm section composed of guitarist Jacob Young and drummer Stale Liavik Solberg.

Boasting an entrancing sound, this bass-less trio gave the best treatment to Trinidad’s compositions, starting with “Bedside”, where the crisp intonations and language facility of the trumpeter meet the bluesy guitar phrasing and the disengaged rock drumming of his peers. Although showing different personalities, they all speak the same idioms. This particular piece embraces probing alternative sounds wrapped in sonic pollution.

The grief-stricken ballad “Bell (Hymn)” shimmers with an astounding beauty. The trumpet-led melodies are placed across Young’s ample, airy textures decorated with tasteful effects.

The guitarist is also extremely captivating when wielding an acoustic guitar. He does it on the immersive lullaby-version of “Bell”, the quiet “Kin”, and the folk-drenched “Morning Flight”.

With shifting harmonies unfolding on top of the collaborative drums, “Feathers” is a discernible pop song that thrives with a free and easy sonic flare. It leads to the minimalist “Giske”, a tune painted with the radiant hues of Trinidad’s long and sparse notes, guitar chimes, and subtly brushed drumming.

Modest and reverent, the bandleader shapes the title track as a dim-lighted ballad suffused with aching pensiveness. He and his trio partners envelop us in the type of harmonious atmosphere that dominates the record, and the sensation is that we are hearing Enrico Rava exchanging points of view with John Abercrombie or Robert Fripp.

Unexpected yet encouraging gestures are reserved for the last two compositions: “The Attic” summons the trumpet to loosen up high-pitched moans turned into multiphonics. They slide over sluggish chords and poised drumming, in a richly combined effort to set up a dramatic scenario, while “Torreon” closes the session with a disciplined backbeat, flexible lyric delineations, and a quest for hope that is reminiscent of Mathias Eick.

Brimming with endless enchantment, these are keen compositions we can easily relate to. Furthermore, the artists involved in this project have a special chemistry, delivering from the heart every time they are called to intervene.

Favorite Tracks:
01 - Bedside ► 02 - Bell (Hymn) ► 11 - Torreon