Label: Yellowbird Records, 2019

Personnel - Kristjan Randalu: piano; Petros Klampanis: bass; Bodek Janke: drums, percussion.

The fact that Greek bassist/composer Petros Klampanis splits his time between two continents, having one foot in his native Greece and the other in the vibrant New York, clearly reflects in the music of Irrationalities, his first trio album. Here, his musical ideas are supported by Estonian pianist Kristjan Randalu and the classically trained Polish drummer Bodek Janke, two kindred spirits and frequent associates whose rapport allows for a full functioning trio with a wide collectivist perception of Klampanis' music. According to the bassist, Irrationalities is inspired by the courage one must have in order to constantly reinvent themselves.

Sympathetically laying out the trio’s strengths, “Easy Come And Go” opens the record like a sumptuous dance choreographed with refined taste and appetency for groove. While Janke’s soft percussive touch reinforces the idea of world music, there are fluid unison phrases, chromatic shifts that leaves traces of Eastern aromas in the air, pedal-like sections that easily transit to unexpected rhythmic accents, and a commanding solo by the bassist, who is as comfortable taking the lead as he is sustaining structure in the background.

Cultural heritage is also found on “Seeing You Behind My Eyes”, whose deceptive Motian-esque bareness, expressed in 7/8 with soft-spoken intimacy, evolves into something busier without losing essence. If this composition embraces Greece’s typical kalamatiano rhythm, then the standard “Blame It On My Youth” is transformed through a Bulgarian kopanitsa rhythm of 11/8. Besides the unhurried yet expressive lyricism with vestiges of melancholy that defines the piece, the arrangement includes a nice intro with polite brushwork, hushed and dreamy piano, and the recognizable melody professed by Klampanis, who paints the lyric in the foreground with sentiment and agility.

The title track is a kaleidoscopic, multi-cultural journey initiated with layered voices and involving astute variations in pace, intensity, tempo, and mood. While the harmonic progressions keep the inner voices in motion, often accommodating sharp chromaticism, classical and skeletal folk elements combine, seamlessly permeating the post-bop grounds with its natural hues. After improvised speeches from Klampanis and Randalu, the tune gains rocking stamina, only to restore, moments later, that classical feel that ends up concluding the piece. Less unpredictable than the latter, but equally mature in its harmonic development and modulations, “No Becomes Yes” unfolds with a 5/8 meter signature and nurtures a touching reverence for melody. Randalu is featured in a short solo piano passage, also delivering beautiful unisons with the bassist.

A tryptic centered in a vignette titled “Temporary Secret” has its groovy first part as a highlight, but you’ll have to search for it, since it’s a hidden track on the record.

Klampanis orchestrates everything meticulously and his boundless musicality flows with integrity, sensitivity, and self-control.