The work of the Copenhagen-based trio Bloomers, named after the American women’s rights activist Amelia Bloomer, is a heady melange of chamber music and free improvisation. Consisting of three wind instruments, the collaborative group boasts a captivating inner synergy. This is heard on its Cyclism that comprises 15 short pieces each named after a place and date of historical significance in the fight for gender equality.
The less-than-a-minute “Homer, May 27th, 1818,” named after Bloomer’s birthday and location, is a perfect exercise in brevity, like an instrumental haiku. Trumpeter Anne Efternøler blows soft, muted notes against which the woodwinds of Carolyn Goodwin and Maria Dybbroe undulate gently in a lullaby-like dialogue.
The impressionistic tunes are sometimes melodic and fluid, while at others angular and delightfully dissonant. The “Stockholm, December 10th, 1905”, dedicated to novelist Bertha von Suttner winning the Nobel Peace Prize, starts with an angular repartee. Efternøler contributes clusters of high notes that, together with Goodwin and Dybbroe’s resonant clarinets, build a crystalline sonic structure that, at times, especially with Efternøler’s staccato horn, sounds a bit like a deconstructed march. As the interplay evolves, Goodwin's reverberating bass clarinet creates a pensive rhythmic backdrop. Over it, Efternøler and Dybbroe play a serene and lyrical duet.
The simmering “Cyberspace, October 15th, 2017”, honoring the day the # MeToo movement started to raise awareness of sexual harassment, opens with somber notes from all three musicians. Long, mournful passages overlap and weave a captivating harmonic tapestry. The playful three-way conversation that follows, “Venice, June 5th, 1646”, uses pops, hisses, and squawks together with melodic shards coalescing into a joyful tune. The track’s title refers to Venetian Elena Cornaro Piscopia’s birthday. Cornaro Piscopia was the first Western woman to earn a university degree.
Another highlight of this uniformly superb album is the two-part “Tehran, September 16th, 2022” inspired by the Woman, Life, Freedom movement. Efternøler lays down a melancholic and solemn melody with long, wistful lines, while Goodwin and Dybbroe woody resonant phrases add an expectant mood. The result is quite dramatic and poignant.
Cyclism is a demanding yet immensely satisfying listening experience. It is a timely release that has impeccable artistry and an urgently relevant social message. Because of this it will surely stand the test of time.
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