Triosk: The Headlight Serenade

Buy in the U.S. • Buy in the U.K. • Buy in Germany • Buy in Japan

Bob Burnett: Triosk began playing together in Sydney, Australia in 2001—as their webpage says, "with the objective to perform improvised-based music in which electronics play an active and equal role." On this webpage I say that means just the sort of thing I like—music that advances the spirit of the great spatial tonality of the ECM label combined with the earthy qualities of people together creating music with tangible surfaces and textures. Triosk's The Headlight Serenade floats and cascades just like the title suggests—like those seemingly random headlights from passing cars floating and shimmering across landscapes, buildings and open spaces. I've been listening to this album in my office today; it has the ability to be there as well as to recede into the background. To me that's a "Satie" thing not a "smooth jazz" thing. There is a wonderful merging of acoustic bass, soft and thoughtfully restrained percussion, piano and floating digital accompaniment—not synthesizery Jan Hammer a go-go digital goo mind you, but textures that softly swirl and add depth to the acoustic forms.

All that is true except for the last cut which is more frenetic and choppy. You'll be ready to listen to something else by then anyway so it was nice of them to put it at the end of the CD.

Kim Kirkpatrick: You said "Jan Hammer," ha ha!