Australian contemporary jazz trio, Trichotomy look like a nerdy version of Kraftwerk. They have been playing together for 13 years with core members pianist Sean Foran, percussionist John Parker and double bassist Patrick Marchisella.
On this nine-track album, there are also contributions from Tunji Beier on percussion, Linsey Pollak on reeds, and guitarist James Muller. It follows two releases, also on Naim Jazz, Variations (2010) and The Gentle War (2011).
They cite a range of diverse influences from Aphex Twin to John Zorn and elements from the European and Indian Folk traditions can be heard, especially on the ambient feel of the final track Brick By Brick.
Their music is described as a combination of "dense rhythmic focus with a refined melodic clarity" with the piano as the main instrument.
This description aptly describes the opening track Strom, which means stream, current or flow, and the equally fluid The Brook begins with clapping and incorporates some moody bass lines.
The Blank Canvas Part 1 and Part 2both showcase the Pat Metheny style guitar work of Muller.
There are two tracks dedicated to the offspring of band members a delicate piano piece called Lullaby written by Parker for his sons and the more playful Song For EV, written for Foran’s daughter.
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The title track is the most abstract piece on the album. It utilizes voice samples from speeches on military strategy by George Bush and others while the instrumentation includes bowed distorted bass and a range of Chinese gongs to achieve an interestingly disjointed effect.
Another more experimental piece is Civil Unrest which again features Muller on guitar together with percussionist Tunji Beier. The restless mood of this track is achieved by seeming to be built around free improvisations.
It's a sophisticated and diverse album that will appeal mainly to lovers of smooth jazz but includes enough eclectic touches to demonstrate that Trichotomy are no one trick pony.
Trichotomy's website
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