In July, Europe was grappling with extremely high temperatures and, as a result, thunderstorms due to the heat dome over the continent. I live on the top floor of an apartment building and therefore had a particularly privileged view of these natural spectacles. On one occasion, I could see such a storm approaching - a dark wall rapidly pushing toward the city - though it was obvious that the weather front would only graze the city. The gusts of wind were fierce, trees bent under the force of nature, thunder roared, and lightning lit up the sky. But why am I telling you this? Because it fits perfectly with “Equilibrum”, the first track on the new album by the international trio Okuda Müller Hall - Rieko Okuda (Japan; piano), Matthias Müller (Germany, trombone), and Samuel Hall (Australia, drums) - perfectly. At first, the drums just tingle softly; Hall rubs the toms and strokes the cymbals, while Müller delivers an unsettling drone that shifts only slightly. Sometimes it grows louder, then fades again; it literally fluctuates. Then the piano slowly enters the picture, with Okuda attacking the interior of the instrument. Almost imperceptibly, everything grows louder, darker, and more menacing. The thunderstorm is now over you, but only a few heavy drops are falling, symbolized by isolated piano notes. Even though you know you’ll get off lightly, a hauntingly beautiful, fascinating feeling lingers.
“Six Lights,” the third and longest track on the album, continues this form of improvisation in a similar vein. Müller, however, forgoes the drone, opting instead for deliberate, sustained notes over which Okuda showers bright piano sprinkles, while Hall works his magic on the dark drums and simultaneously manipulates extended materials. Müller then takes a two-and-a-half-minute break, and when he rejoins the piece, it actually sounds like contemporary European free jazz or like - say - a trippy ECM recording.
In general, ³√ (“Cube Root”) combines wide-ranging developments with a finely balanced structure, it’s a perfect showcase of Berlin’s Echtzeitmusik scene, the trio’s music flows organically into a distinct sonic language - multi-layered, crystal clear, a combination of density and openness. The liner notes mention that an “acoustic space of great depth and fluidity unfolds, within which a steady pull develops, drawing the listener ever deeper into this flowing, ever-changing soundscape“.
My favorite track on the album, though, is the last one, “Sputnik.” The thunder and lightning of the opener are gone; what remains is the wind - rough, wild, hissing around the corners and producing strange sounds. Rieko Okuda creates a powerful soundscape against which Müller and Hall enjoy a great deal of freedom, and which ultimately proves what they are - in a musical sense: a force of nature. The album ends with a few subtle dabs of piano. Fascinating and stunningly beautiful.
³√ is available as a download. You can listen to the cording here:
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