TRIO SOWARI: FURTHER REFLECTIONS - REVIEWS
The London-based label Shrike Records is quietly making its mark, combining aesthetic diversity with high musical quality and thus creating a convergence of shared interests rather than illustrating a new "ism." This is evident when considering the musical direction of Trio Sowari, initiated almost a quarter of a century ago, at the very moment when pianist-composer Veryan Weston recorded his modal masterpiece, Tessellations, articulating 53 pentatonic modes, whose release immediately followed the Trio Sowari's Further Reflections. This trio originated from encounters between innovative improvisers in the early 2000s under the auspices of Reductionism, London New Silence, lower case, and the continuation of AMM's work. Swiss saxophonist Bertrand Denzler made a name for himself with the French group Hubbub, whose albums were released by Matchless, Eddie Prévost's label of AMM. Around this time, Berlin musicians Axel Dörner, Burkhard Beins, and Michael Renkel became close to radical London improvisers like Rhodri Davies, Mark Wastell, John Butcher, and Phil Durrant, who had worked with the paragon of "silence," Radu Malfatti, as well as others such as the Greek Nikos Veliotis and the Argentinian Lucio Capece. From this growing awareness emerged groups like The Sealed Knot, IST, Broken Consort, SLW, Activity Center, the medium-sized orchestra Phosphor, and Trio Sowari.
Beins frequently played with The Sealed Knot alongside Rhodri Davies and Mark Wastell, close associates of Phil Durrant, and Bertrand Denzler played a major role in Hubbub. His work made him an ideal partner, with his ability to explore the interplay of air column vibrations and the interplay of breath and key positions on the tenor saxophone in an approach devoid of vocalized expressionism, introspective and exploratory, allowing the whispers and diffractions of breath and air within the instrument's tube to be heard. Simultaneously, the delicately vibratory and slightly bouncy sounds, the electronic oscillations of the semi-modular analog synthesizer, accompanied by live electronics operated by Phil Durrant, offer a skillful, elastic, and subtly focused counterpoint to Bertrand Denzler's refined approach. The third member of Trio Sowari is the enigmatic Burkhard Beins with his minimalist percussion kit and his clean, airy free-drumming style, which carefully guides the trio while leaving ample room for expression for his two colleagues (Miroir Noir 18:57). Or, using a bow, he rubs the end of a cymbal or, with a mallet, slowly vibrates a gong whose sound blends with the muffled, obscure, and sustained drone of Durrant's analog synthesizer (Zeit 16:32). Another long piece, Scratches and Scars, focuses on its length (22:49) The superbly recorded specificities of this Trio Sowari, which has only improved over the years since their first Sowari CD released by the French label Potlatch, also associated with this movement stemming from free improvisation. In conclusion, an excellent document for appreciating a beautiful and masterfully executed approach. Each of the three pieces develops its own atmosphere and balances of energy and timbral explorations, all blended together with as much subtlety as sonic coherence.
- Jean-Michel Van Schouwburg, Orynx -
It just goes to show how relative the concept of time really is! Take Trio Sowari: the twenty-one years separating this 'Further Reflections' from 'Three Dances', their debut album released in 2005, seem - depending on how you look at it - as long as an adult's lifetime or as fleeting as a breath of wind. For a long time, twenty-one years was the time it took for a child to reach adulthood, yet the few concerts by the trio that I've been able to attend still echo in my head as if they'd taken place only last week.
With just four recordings in a quarter of a century, one cannot say that Sowari is flooding our record collections, even though Bertrand Denzler's tenor sax, Burkhard Beins' percussion and Phil Durrant's machines are far from gathering dust. It would, moreover, be rather futile to attempt to draw up an exhaustive list of their regular line-ups. Let us simply note that Bertrand shares the Sbatax duo with Antonin Gerbal and the double-solo project with Frantz Loriot; that he co-founded the Hubbub quintet and the Neuköllner Modelle trio; that he created Protocluster; and that he frequently takes part in productions by ONCEIM and the Umlaut Orchestra, for which he has already composed a number of pieces. The same applies to the thirty or so groups at the heart of which Burkhard Beins has established his artistic approach. From solo performances to large ensembles, from Polwechsel to Perlonex, Sawt Out, Junk Orbit or, notably, the Splitter Orchester, the methodical fluidity of his playing supports so many improvisers around the world that one is no longer surprised, whatever the context, to see the percussionist appear on stage or pop up at some session. As for Phil Durrant, it seems that his collaborations with John Butcher, Emil Karlsen or Maggie Nichols, and his involvement with The SEEN, Mark Wastell's ensemble, or the MIMEO ensemble, have not prevented him from furthering his research into electronics; indeed, having developed the software necessary for his work with Sowari, he has recently acquired a semi-modular synthesiser - the trio's only real technological advancement.
In fact, the creative principle developed by the three men is so deeply rooted in the long term that they cannot accord the slightest credence to the notion of modernity. Just as in their music, they cultivate a form of relational continuum that the absence of events can never interrupt. The track titles speak for themselves: "Gravitation", "Suspension", "Exploration", "Levitation" - here we follow the elements of a curve traced between sky and earth, which even the very materiality of the percussion cannot subject to gravity. The tenor lines sometimes collide with the density of stones; the whistles induced by the electronics may be subject to endogenous fractures; the circles traced on the bass tom's head do not conform to the regularity of running water and are often overwhelmed by avalanches of blows struck against the hardness of the wood; yet the invisible thread running through the album, along which the three tightrope walkers advance, will refuse to snap so long as the magic of their connection endures. The very essence of the sounds is open to question: is it a swelling breath or several voices blending together? The harmony between the instruments is such that one begins to doubt reality and wonders whether one has fallen victim to a psychoacoustic phenomenon.
In any case, such mastery of sonic complexity and the silence that binds it together can only arise from a lasting relationship nourished by shared desires and aesthetic ideals. Consequently, neither absence nor its duration can interfere with the creation of a work suspended between formal clarity and the manifestation of the spirit.
- Joël Pagier, Revue et Corrigée -
Twenty years on and with only its fourth physical disc since its beginning, the European Trio Sowari continues to create singular sounds. Consisting of veteran improvisers UK synthesizer and electronics player Phil Durrant, Swiss tenor saxophonist Bertrand Denzler and German percussionist Burkhard Beins, the three have created an electro-acoustic synthesis with timbres that are sometimes unidentifiable as well as unique.
Denzler is a member of Hubbub as well as collaborating with partners as different as Alexander von Schlippenbach and Jason Kahn. Beins was part of Polwechsel and has worked with everyone from Rhodri Davies to Mazen Kerbaj. Durrant, who also plays stringed instruments, has a history with the likes of John Butcher and Mark Wastell.
The arbitrary throbs pulses and shakes of electronics interweave among Denzler's solid reed projections with floating doits and slurs alongside metallic percussion shakes and cymbal squeaks. While a horizontal time frame exits, the joint expression of reed, idiophone and voltage textures means that tones are frequently not ascribed to single sources, Breathy reed vibrations and thick gran casa pumps or bell tree pops can be isolated. But how many implements are involved in eruptions that variously recall thunder storms, car motors starting and undifferentiated fluctuations.
"Scratches and Scars", Further Reflections' nearly 23-minute centrepiece has most of these unattributed timbres. Shortly after the linear exposition is defined resonating shudders that seem to be squeezed from a computer meet hollow reed puffs and idiophone pitter patter. But after an assembly line of processed jiggles and quivers is heard, an overriding drone moves to the foreground again with no hint of its reed, machine or percussion genesis. Similarly a later equally emphasized sequence of repetitive scrapes and inflating flatulence pulsations' origin can't be exactly identified. The finale unites foreshortened reed squeaks and bites, electronic oscillations a percussion clip clops to reassert the narrative.
Expressing both individual improvised motifs, intertwined instrumental timbres and hard-to-identify shudders and reverberations, Trio Sowari again demonstrate the group's skill and distinctiveness. Considering there was nearly a decade gap from its last physical album to this one, it's hoped the next will arrive more quickly.
- Ken Waxman, JazzWord -
The disciplined and focused musical space of the Sowari trio, one of the most original ensembles in electroacoustic improvisation, is subject to constant transformation, a place where different currents of experimental music meet and where asymmetrical formations emerge, sketching out unpredictable sonic topographies.
The trio's sound immediately suggests a fusion of bowed metal, gongs, and synthesizers, while the saxophone, which sometimes emits a piercing, almost painful sound, often further contributes to the ritualistic atmosphere. The "electronic strangeness" is tangible and at times stripped-down, as the trio adopts a more open texture in which different instrumental colors are clearly audible. The sonic passages seamlessly transition into acoustic-spatial impossibility and physical disorientation, rebuilding a distinctive, powerful melodic line from smaller or simpler acoustic materials, which are sometimes subtly transformed. Their music is nourished by numerous influences and a multitude of collaborations with artists from diverse backgrounds. The Sowari Trio is formed by Burkhard Beins on percussion, Phil Jurant on a semi-modular analog synthesizer and electronics, and Bertrand Denzler on tenor saxophone. The album Further Reflections was released in late June by the London-based Shrike Records.
- Radio Beograd 3 -
They seem to be one of the oldest EAI bands today: Burkhard Beins, Phil Durrant, and Bertrand Denzler have been working together since 2004. Their first two albums were released on Potlatch in 2005 and 2008, which I don't remember well, but the third on Mikroton in 2018 was definitely one of my favorites of that year. Last year, an archival live album was released on Scatter, and the new album was recorded in 2024.
They play masterfully, unhurriedly and with weight. Denzler and Beins are generally clear; they continue to refine the details. Durrant, however, is constantly searching for new materials and resources, and following his setups is very interesting to me, both from an electronic music perspective and because of how the band's music evolves. Nothing changes dramatically, but the cut is different precisely because of Phil.
- Ilja Belarukov, Musicworm -
Trio Sowari returns with Further Reflections - recorded in France in January 2024 - adding here to the recent series of trio albums featuring synth. Indeed Durrant returns on synth (& electronics in general again) with Bertrand Denzler (tenor sax) & Burkhard Beins (percussion), their first two albums together having been recorded back in 2004 & 2006. (There was another recording from that period as well, released by Scatter Archive late last year, LMC 2005...) This was actually prior to my project here, and so my acquaintance with Trio Sowari was from Third Issue (recorded in July 2016 & reviewed here July 2018), generally a much smoother tapestry than the preliminary investigations of (already) a decade prior. With Further Reflections, the trio's sound immediately suggests a bent metal fusion of gongs & synth, sometimes-keening sax often suggesting further a ritualistic vibe. "Electronic weirdness" is palpable & sometimes exposed, as the trio adopts a more open texture where the different instrumental timbres can be clearly audible. (As far as I can make out, the "point" of Trio Sowari was for Durrant to work on developing his semi-modular analog synth in an interactive setting... The title continues to appear in his composed work too.) Beins had then appeared in this space most recently with Black Current (reviewed July 2023), from an electronic version of trio Sawt Out - having also appeared e.g. on Induction (recorded in 2019) with John Butcher, perhaps a suitable acoustic comparison for Trio Sowari, albeit there with less presence, almost a study in pacing... And Denzler was actually last noted here with Trio Sowari, although his Bandcamp site includes not only those earlier releases, but e.g. other recent collaborations I'd failed to notice until now... So Further Reflections takes up this longstanding activity, i.e. as a rare ongoing trio (for more than 20 years...) versus e.g. the ongoing duo collaborations underlying the new (synth) trios of the previous two entries. The "ingredients" seemed to come together with Third Issue then, but Further Reflections soon projects a more melodic sense, and maybe a broader humanistic sweep. (This latest album was released by Shrike Records, most recently noted here for jazzy clarinet trio Hazard Calls, reviewed October 2024...) An industrial vibe is still conjured at times too, but it can soon sound transformed & humanized (or mystified...). And as the previous two entries had already suggested, developing a personal style on synth isn't straightforward, at least if one isn't trying to be the center of attention, sorting a myriad sonic possibilities... or perhaps I should say, rather developing a synth style fitting a post-Cage orientation on quiet emergence. (Trio Sowari even conjures some "UFO sound" that I've associated with Cage performances in the past, i.e. senses of pulsing resonant layers... But they do return to a burbling pointillism for the middle track.) The result can be haunting & substantial, solemn human-intentional articulations moving seamlessly into acoustic-spatial impossibility & physical disorientation, again developing a sort of gripping melodic austerity from smaller or straightforward acoustic materials, sometimes subtly (or not) warped or bent.
- Todd McComb's Jazz Thoughts -