Another impressive release from a band that is continuing to evolve over an extended period of time together, with each new release as well as being a satisfying listen always hints at what is yet to come.
ECM 2778 / 555 8662
Maciej Obara (alto saxophone); Dominik Wania (piano); Ole Morten Vågan (double bass); Gard Nilssen (drums)
Recorded June 2022
The third chapter in the Polish-Norwegian quartet ECM journey can be seen as a continuation of the work began with Unloved in recorded at the beginning of 2017 and followed in 2019 with Three Crowns.
Five years on from their debut for the imprint, and retaining the same personnel, Obara has written eight new compositions that once again look to stretch the quartet and take their music on a new journey.
As with all long-term projects and bands, there is no surprises or jarring shock with the music, but it is very discernible how the relationships within the band are constantly evolving along with Obara’s compositions.
With Frozen Silence the quartet still work together as a collective unit, but what is different is the deepening and intuitive relationship between Obara and pianist Dominik Wania, and as a by-product the way in which Vågan and Nilssen have subtly altered their relationship with each other and how they support the saxophone and piano.
The way in which the quartet interact is now becoming wider in spectrum with each new recording and here we can detect how the four musicians are working together towards new goals.
It is therefore somewhat ironic in a music that relies so heavily on these ever-deepening relationships and interaction that the music presented was composed from solitary beginnings.
As the pandemic took a hold and opportunities to play with others were denied, Obara left Warsaw and headed to the Karkonosze region in south-west Poland. A return to the hills and back to family roots, almost in isolation the saxophonist composed new music that takes it influence from the landscapes surrounding him.
From the gentle opening number ‘Dry Mountain’ and the closing ballad ‘Flying Pixies’ that uses space and texture as well as melodic, Obara’s playing is expansive and often tender. The material however allows the quartet to move in many different ways from the abstract ‘Black Cauldron’.
Obara’s lyrical bent is once again to the fore on ‘High Stone’ as his alto lines sketch out the melodic framework of the composition, but it is bassist Ole Morten Vågan who takes the solo honours here, and Dominik Wania’s accompaniment and his contributions throughout this piece grab the attention.
Gard Nilssen’s gently rolling drum patterns open ‘Twilight’ and Obara’s alto initially build his lines around the drummer, until joined by bass and piano the composition opens up still further, again emphasising the way in which the musicians can intuitively pair off yet still working together as ensemble.
The headlong approach is not for this quartet preferring to pace their music patiently. This is how ‘Waves Of Glyma’ also begins, however here the composition does allow the tension to build, and the natural release is a more animated side of Obara’s music driven tastefully, and dare I say with scant regard for restraint by Gard Nilssen and Vågan.
Another impressive release from a band that is continuing to evolve over an extended period of time together, with each new release as well as being a satisfying listen always hints at what is yet to come.
