Trio Sowari

Twenty years on and with only its fourth physical disc since its beginning, the European Trio Sowari continues to create singular sounds. Consisting of veteran improvisers UK synthesizer and electronics player Phil Durrant, Swiss tenor saxophonist Bertrand Denzler and German percussionist Burkhard Beins, the three have created an electro-acoustic synthesis with timbres that are sometimes unidentifiable as well as unique.

Denzler is a member of Hubbub as well as collaborating with partners as different as Alexander von Schlippenbach and Jason Kahn. Beins was part of Polwechsel and has worked with everyone from Rhodri Davies to Mazen Kerbaj. Durrant, who also plays stringed instruments, has a history with the likes of John Butcher and Mark Wastell.

The arbitrary throbs pulses and shakes of electronics interweave among Denzler’s solid reed projections with floating doits and slurs alongside metallic percussion shakes and cymbal squeaks. While a horizontal time frame exits, the joint expression of reed, idiophone and voltage textures means that tones are frequently not ascribed to single sources, Breathy reed vibrations and thick gran casa pumps or bell tree pops can be isolated. But how many implements are involved in eruptions that variously recall thunder storms, car motors starting and undifferentiated fluctuations.

“Scratches and Scars”, Further Reflections’ nearly 23-minute centrepiece has most of these unattributed timbres. Shortly after the linear exposition is defined resonating shudders that seem to be squeezed from a computer meet hollow reed puffs and idiophone pitter patter. But after an assembly line of processed jiggles and quivers is heard, an overriding drone moves to the foreground again with no hint of its reed, machine or percussion genesis. Similarly a later equally emphasized sequence of repetitive scrapes and inflating flatulence pulsations’ origin can’t be exactly identified. The finale unites foreshortened reed squeaks and bites, electronic oscillations a percussion clip clops to reassert the narrative.

Expressing both individual improvised motifs, intertwined instrumental timbres and hard-to-identify shudders and reverberations, Trio Sowari again demonstrate the group’s skill and distinctiveness. Considering there was nearly a decade gap from its last physical album to this one, it’s hoped the next will arrive more quickly.

–Ken Waxman

Track Listing:1. Miroir Noir 2. Scratches and Scars 3. Zeit

Personnel: Bertrand Denzler (tenor saxophone); Burkhard Beins (percussion) and Phil Durrant (semi-modular analog synthesizer and electronics)