Paper Thin Walls (USA) - original article

SONG REVIEW
In The Country: My Best Friend Is A Dancer
By PHILIP FREEMAN


There’s not much that can be done with the piano trio format anymore—excuse me while I yawn in the general direction of the Bad Plus and Brad Mehldau. So Norwegian jazz three-piece In The Country stretches as much as possible, leader Morten Qvenild switching from grand piano to celesta, harmonium and Hammond organ throughout their CD; while Pål Husken plays vibraphone and glockenspiel in addition to his drum kit. This slow, deliberate track opens the disc in a stately manner, not really swinging as much as moving steadily forward. The piano is rich and full, and the bass is beautifully recorded. More important, though, are the weird clicking sounds—they could just be a percussion device of some sort, and probably are (they occur on the beat), but they just as easily could be digital damage à la Oval, which (if deliberate) would indeed be something new in piano trio land. Assume it's a deliberate insertion of disruptive digital glitchiness (rather than a mere hi-hat, weirdly miked), and give this one two thumbs up for innovation, however subtle.


Published : 23.02.2007