Three albums that emphasize atmospheres and imaginations.
Karl Berger plays vibes and piano, joined by Jason Kao Hwang on violin and viola for eight original conversations. On vibes, Berger contrasts with Hwang’s pungent strings on “ Silhouettes” and the two jab and punch with pizzicatos on “Below Zero” with istful viola and lyrical chimes for “Water Finds Water”. Most jazz is the loose piano and strings of “Beyond Reach” with tentative bowing and ivories on ”Prophecy”. Strokes by a paint brush.
The duo Toh-Cichi consists of the productive pianist Satoko Fujii and expressive drummer Tatsuya Yoshida on sixteen compositions by either, or, or both. Paper in piano plucking on ”Ruvwesevjieck” or plucked piano strings on “Rolling Down” are answered by hard hitting drum work , with the sticks getting chaotic in conversation on “GIdvachophen”
. Fujii gives hints of Bud Powell on the thoughtful “Aspherical Dance” and is classical tuned on “Baikamo”, but for the most part there is some thunderous sounds from ivory and wood on these pieces that feel like sonic collisions.
The band Silent Fires consists of Karoline Wallace/voc, Hilde Marie Holsen/tp-effects, Hakon Aase/vi-pec and Alessandro Sgobbio/p with the eleven songs creating dark, eerie and mysteriously ominous moods. A couple instrumentals have dreamy intimate horns on “Silent Fires” and some rich piano chords on “The Light of the Lights.” With Wallace’s ethereal voice, she melds with violin on the haunting “En Astheneia” and floats along the trudging pace of “Similar Lymphs” with delicate and tensile sounds hovering during “Oaf” and making things go bump in the night on the haunted house of “Luce Della Perfezione”. Night Gallery of song.