Ocean Fanfare

Enhancing the span of textures available from an all-acoustic piano-less quartet, Ocean Fanfare is a throwback to the assured sounds made by just woodwinds, trumpet, bass and drums. With Third Nature clocking in at an LP length 34¼ minutes, the four show how much can be created with brevity and background. Together since 2012, band members are Polish trumpeter Tomasz Dąbrowski, who has played with Marek Pospieszalski, Kasper Tom and many others; and three Danes: multi-woodwind player Sven Dam Meinild, who has experience working with Jacob Anderskov; plus bassist Richard Andersson who has played with Rudi Mahall and drummer Peter Bruun who has recorded with Marc Ducret.

Although he didn’t composed any of the tunes, like Charlie Haden in the early Ornette Colman quartets it’s Andersson whose thick tolling string strokes hold together the performances. His supple tone complements can range from twanging responses to intertwined horn motifs on “Circular Two” to thick woody reverberations on “Kritisk Stadie”. These lead to rhythmic variations that evolve alongside the saxophonist’s straight-ahead melodic suggestions and blend with the trumpeter’s portamento bites. Less upfront are Bruun’s time-keeping rolls and thumps.

Meantime Meinild specialize in antiphonic connections, with one usually stating the theme and the other suggesting decorations and embellishments on it. Fairly consistently the trumpeter’s go-to is horizontal evolution prodded by triplet yelps and portamento snarls. Meinild’s breathy tenor saxophone or biting alto sax note bending evolve at an ambulating pace to cement the sequences momentum A turn to bass clarinet however on ballad-like numbers bring out grittier chalumeau slurs, usually answered by half-valve slides from Dąbrowski.

Third Nature is described as the final part of the band’s nature trilogy. The skillful playing here augurs for more notable long form or shorter sessions in the future.

–Ken Waxman

Track Listing: 1. Kritisk Stadie 2. Circular One 3. Paper Mountains 4. Long Time 5. Circular Two 6. Natskygge Ordnen 7. Quantum

Personnel: Tomasz Dąbrowski (trumpet); Sven Dam Meinild (alto and tenors saxophone and bass clarinet); Richard Andersson (bass) and Peter Bruun (drums)