My review of Nik Bärtsch's Continuum, by his all-acoustic group Mobile, today at All About Jazz.
Few musicians have continued to hone a concept as singularly unique and instantly recognizable, irrespective of context, as that being explored by Swiss pianist Nik Bärtsch since he first formed Mobile with Don Li, in 1997. First emerging on record in 2001 with Ritual Groove Music (Self-Released, reissued Ronin Rhythm, 2006), Bärtsch has evolved three very different contexts with which to explore the confluence of trance-inducing minimalist elements with rigorous, ritualistic compositional constructs, a deep interest in Japanese culture and other musical touchstones. While all three contexts--in addition to the all-acoustic Mobile, Bärtsch has performed and recorded as a solo pianist, as well as with the more elastic and jazz/funk-centric Ronin--share common DNA-level elements, each context is also different: refracting Bärtsch's underlying architectures through a series of disparate prisms.
After moving to Munich's ECM Records to release Ronin's Stoa (2006), Bärtsch continued to grow that group's specific, complex yet surprisingly danceable brand of Zen Funk on two additional studio albums (2008's Holon and 2010's Llyrìa), in addition to 2012's Ronin Live, which also saw that group's first shift in personnel, with original bassist Bjørn Meyer replaced with Thomy Jordi and, subsequent to that album, the pruning of Ronin down from a quintet to a quartet with the departure of percussionist Andi Pupato. In recent years Ronin has also been occasionally expanded into an even larger constellation with his yet-to-be-recorded Ronin Rhythm Clan, heard live at the 2013 Enjoy Jazz Festival in Mannheim, Germany.
But while Ronin has become Bärtsch's best-known and most-toured group--largely because of the greater international distribution and promotion possible through ECM Records--neither his solo nor Mobile projects have been completely inactive, though largely dormant--at least, it seems, from the eyes of an international public. And so, with four Ronin albums released on ECM, it seemed inevitable that Bärtsch should finally bring Mobile to that same global audience. In many ways the decision to introduce the more eminently accessible Ronin first was the right one, as the more deeply ritualistic Mobile is, while still rhythmically compulsive, a group that requires even greater immersion to truly appreciate its inimitable charms and chamber-like qualities. But as with ECM, Bärtsch is never one to stand still for too long; and so, while Continuum features the current core Mobile quartet--in addition to Ronin regulars, reed multi- instrumentalist Sha and drummer/percussionist Kaspar Rast, rounded out with drummer/tuned percussionist Nicolas Stocker--and includes but two new compositions, in addition to new looks at pieces previously heard on Ritual Groove Music and Mobile's second album, Aer (Tonus-Music, 2004; reissued Ronin Rhythm, 2006), Bärtsch continues to explore larger contexts by adding a string quintet on three of its eight tracks.
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Originally Posted by per anporth
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