By Don Phipps
An exquisite collection of hazy atmospheres awaits the listener of Peter Ehwald’s Public Radio, an album of improvisations that features Ehwald on tenor saxophone, Tom Rainey on drums, and Stefan Schultze on piano. Each of the musicians contributes to the foggy happenings – mysterious and beautiful – emphasizing lines that seem to wander in a dark forest of sound.
One need look no further than the second cut, “Palladio,” for evidence of this blurred landscape. There is Ehwald’s muted blowing coupled with Schultze’s delicate tinkering – abstractions that are both cool and lyrical. But it is Rainey’s wonderful cymbal work that is the highlight here. Listen to his masterful touch and the way he interacts with Ehwald’s searching lines and Schultze’s light strokes.
Then there’s the labyrinthian navigation presented in “Slip Song,” where the piece seems to slowly wind forward, propelled by a combination of bell sounds, inside the piano tinkering, light sprinkles on the keys, and Ehwald’s diffused sliding explorations. And in “Promise,” Schultze’s subdued but seductive use of piano overtones slip perfectly underneath Ehwald’s dreamy phrasing.
“Limestone and Seabed” is another improv that demonstrates the contemplative misty nature of the tunes. Ehwald’s extended notes have a slow motion effect. Listen to how he dwells on them – lingering – milking the essence from the sound he creates. Rainey wisely keeps his energetic yet musical contribution low key, permitting Ehwald and Schultze to weave their cloudy moods together like a fine-spun tapestry.
The music veers towards darkness in “Fortune Teller.” Rainey’s subtle but precise use of the tom and bass pedal add girth, while Ehwald’s sax lines wander about, like an explorer in some strange new land. His phrases run high and low – with a grace and sparse beauty. Then there’s the sad veneer of “Focus,” where Rainey’s exquisite brushwork and Schultze’s repeated motif undergird Ehwald’s sax contemplations; each sax note is packed with emotion. And on “Night Out,” Ehwald’s solo seems to float in the air before the number becomes more active under the pulsating drive of Rainey’s drumming and Schultze’s repeating motif.
The music of Public Radio is the music of three improvisers who choose to sift through the ethereal landscape of perception. The works presented remind one of Dali’s surreal mind probes or Escher’s challenging blends of shapes and forms. It is music of consciousness. Music of the underneath. Swimming under the waves. Highly recommended!
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