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Monday, January 26, 2009

Scott Tinkler & Simon Barker - Lost Thoughts (Kinmara, 2008) ****½

Since I listened to Australian trumpeter Scott Tinkler's "Backwards", I started looking for more of his material, and I bought this little gem, with Simon Barker on drums: a set of nine improvised pieces, ranging from three to fifteen minutes. In the genre, of trumpet-drums duets, this is surely one of the best you can get. Both musicians manage to keep the attention going, full of intensity and energetic interplay. Tinkler's playing is full-toned and warm, despite the adventurousness of his playing: a rare combination. To make things even more spectacular, Barker's drumming is a real treat, tribal, shamanistic, hypnotic, full of contrast, in sound often more with a rock attitude, if it were not for the rhythmic refinement, hard-hitting and subtle. He knows when to use silence too: another rare combination. So when these two guys play together, something happens: there is electricity in the air, tension, rhythm, wild excursions and more contemplative moments. Some moments are telepathic, others are unique. The highlights are the very long second track with the undecipherable title which is full of variation, and the wild seventh piece, "Diminished", with offers the fiercest clever drumming I've heard in a long time (or the cleverest fierce drumming if you want). No weak moments on this album, and both musicians give themselves to the full, technically and musically, emotionally and physically. Great.

© stef

4 comments:

Anonymous said...

Great review Stef -- I've just ordered my copy direct from Kimnara.
Scott Tinkler must be one of the most impressive trumpeters playing today, and it's good to see him getting more and more recognition outside of his native Australia.
I have a number of his CD's and especially like the three trio recordings (again Simon Barker on drums) although, unless I am mistaken, Scott seems to be distancing himself from these earlier recordings and concentrating on a more free approach as evidenced in the latest "Extreme" CD's. Personally, I prefer the new stuff as Scott continues to explore and expand but still retains (usually!) the sound of the trumpet unlike, for instance, Axel Dorner, Arve Henriksen or Birgit Uhler.

Stef said...

I like the sound of the trumpet, more than the voiceless blowing-air-through-tubes sound that appears to be fashionable these days among trumpeters. I have no idea why they do that.

joesh said...

Hi Stef and Co.

I'm sure you already know this/these, but if not ..... enjoy.

http://www.youtube.com/results?search_type=&search_query=scott+tinkler&aq=0&oq=scott+tink

A+ JOe

Stef said...

Thanks. I saw those!