Home » Jazz Articles » Album Review » Bruno Raberg: Look Inside
Bruno Raberg: Look Inside
ByShort, improvised segments are tethered to strong melodic moorings. This is the case on "Island Pathways," whose dancing motif bobs in and out of snappy free-form detours. Raberg's far-flung travels, both as a touring musician and as an educator, inform his playing, as do some of his principal touchstones. Africa and Miles Davis interconnect on "Kansala-Nardis," as Raberg's mbira-like, single-note run bleeds into Davis' tune. Arco melody and rhythmic plucking alternate on "Chennai Reminiscence" like a dialogue between sarangi and tabla.
The common denominator in classically-inspired original pieces such as "A Minor Excursion" and "June Poem," and on jazz standards such as Duke Ellington & Billy Strayhorn's "Prelude to a Kiss" and the Gershwins' "My Man's Gone Now," is Raberg's lyricism. Unhurried, welcoming of space, and exuding an earthy warmth, this is bass playing at its most enchanting. Only on the freely improvised "Gyrating Spaces" does the bassist conjure a more outré soundscape which combines pizzicato edginess, percussive rapping and a hefty dose of abstraction marked by some mischievous detuning.
A tinge of folksy Americana pervades the lovely "Ode To Spring," while "Stillness" closes the album on a hushed, meditative note. Raberg seems to have the listener firmly in mind on an accessible platter which serves up a diversity of styles and moodsall relayed with elegance and economy. As such, the program feels tailor-made for successful transfer to a live setting.
Track Listing
Island Pathways; Kansala - Nardis; Chennai Reminiscence; A Minor Excursion; Prelude to a Kiss; Gyrating Spheres; A Space Between; June Poem; My Man's Gone Now; Ode to Spring; Stillness - Epilogue.
Personnel
Bruno Raberg
bass, acousticAlbum information
Title: Look Inside | Year Released: 2023 | Record Label: Orbis Music
< Previous
No Blues: The Complete Hopbine '65
Comments
About Bruno Raberg
Instrument: Bass, acoustic
Related Articles | Concerts | Albums | Photos | Similar To