Music For Bowlers

Jazz | Jan 2008

Reviews

Fo
Reviewed 2008-03-26
JACOB KOLLER: Music for Bowlers
Tangram, 2007

Unusual piano trio, skewed mainstream jazz: Koller employs lots of repetition, setting up almost mechanical grooves and then banging away at the high notes while bass & drums add an occasional rock touch. Like organic computer music, or a less locked-in version of Lafayette Gilchrist with a tiny bit of Bad Plus thrown in. I totally dig it.

All good. Fo’s Picks: 1, 2, 3, 4, 7

1. 2:31 – insistent pulse, odd harmony, brief pointillist burst, feels incomplete
2. 4:22 – upbeat, spinning piano, staccato breakdown in middle; turns sneaky
3. 4:59 – airy minor ballad with odd skritchy/clattery sounds behind piano
4. 10:12 – broken-apart groove with a pleasingly dissonant melody, staccato rhythm alternates with quiet flow, piano gets abstract & crystalline
5. 2:26 – solo piano, a rigorously steady minimalist cascade
6. 1:32 – slow but brief interlude: phrase variations, then a marionette dance
7. 7:30 – great intro! then a dramatic slouch, elusive tempo shifts, nutty computer-music piano; second half is very slow, quiet, delicate.
8. 6:14 – moody ballad, a gentle sway; sadly lyrical solos for bass & piano

[ Fo ] 26-Mar-08

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Charting

2008-03-30 — 2008-06-01 Jazz
Week EndingAirplays
May 18 1
Apr 20 1
Apr 13 2
Apr 6 3

Track listing

1. Knit To Own
2. Nello
3. Kid Arite
4. Gig For Gag
5. Inconvenient Coincidence
6. New Goods
7. Qing
8. Ice Fishing