Review: Food- Iain Ballamy, Thomas Strønen, guests

Review: Food -Iain Ballamy (Saxophone) & Thomas Strønen (Percussion) with guests Alex Munk (Guitar) and Kit Downes (Organ)
(Forge Venue, Camden, March 28th 2011, review by Roderick McKinley)

This concert was a wonderful way to wind down the day. Starting alone, Ballamy and Strønen set up a calm meditative space. Various bells and gongs alluded to eastern sacred music as the saxophone offered its prayer. Their outputs were augmented by electronics which opened up the space in the music further with delays, reverberation, and ambient harmonic drones.

Strønen displayed a ranging virtuosity spanning a breadth of percussive ideas. Textures varied from minimal micro-patter (reminiscent of electronica group Mum’s more minimal beat-palette); to intricate, rolling, polyrhythms; to complex abstract rhythmic sentences, some figures from which he surprisingly span into a groove. These cannot be convincingly delivered without pin-needle accuracy, which he effortlessly exercised.

It was not of the music for Ballamy to show off similar technical virtuosity. Nevertheless, he impressed with his unwavering focus and heartfelt involvement – absolutely necessary for the phrases to be as compelling as they were. These tended to be smooth with a few open intervals, often employing note duration for expression – often I was drawn to recall the opening bassoon lines of Stravinsky’s Rite of Spring.

Guests Munk and Downes joined midway. To some extent, they supplanted the role played by the electronics in the first half; the organ now providing drones and the guitar echoing and countermelodying the sax. Having these elements under human control also helped avoid the odd fits which sometimes result while triggering automatic electronic loops, though electronics still were used to layer effects as earlier.

Both Munk and Downes were sensitive and true to the understated and ambient character of much of the music. They melded well all together, providing a welcome enrichment to the sound palette.

It was a refreshing pleasure to attend a concert of improvised music which wasn’t fixated frantic energy and chaos.

Quiet Inlet, by Food is on ECM

See also: Jack Davies' preview of this gig

Iain Ballamy's website

CD Review: Blissful Ignorance - Meadow

CD Review: Blissful Ignorance - Meadow
(Edition Records, Review by Tom Gray)

Don’t be fooled by the cover. The moody black and white photograph of the three gentlemen who comprise this group (saxophonist Tore Brunborg, pianist John Taylor and drummer Thomas Strønen) may suggest Nordic introspection, but this is an album filled with music that is also frequently joyous and infused with a palpable sense of groove.

The strength of the compositions here (which are mainly contributed by Brunborg) is immediately apparent. On pieces such as ‘Blissful Ignorance’ and ‘Will’, gently lilting ostinatos underpin themes constructed from relatively simple folky melodic fragments, but which then surprise with a series of unconventional harmonic sidesteps.

The material comes to life in the hands of these masterful yet utterly selfless musicians. Brunborg most obviously evokes Jan Garbarek with his beguiling tone and serpentine phrasing, though his playing occasionally hints at something more rugged - I heard nods towards John Surman at a few points. Taylor pares down his usually rich harmonic vocabulary here, wisely keeping his voicings light and allowing the compositions to breathe. He also adds a percussive bite with his left hand, while his improvised lines dazzle as ever. People familiar with Strønen’s work in the group Food will know that he can truly make a drum kit sing, an ability which is showcased perfectly on ‘Reven’. This piece should be essential listening for anyone looking for a masterclass in group empathy and how to use space (as, in fact, should the whole album).

Signing this fine trio was a shrewd move for Edition Records, which now has another instant classic in its catalogue to go alongside Mark Lockheart’s ‘In Deep’ and Phronesis’s ‘Alive’.

The next scheduled UK appearances by Meadow are in August – they play the Glasgow and Brecon jazz festivals. A London date at the Forge Venue is confirmed for October 19th.

Blissful Ignorance was released in the UK on 31st January