Anders Jormin & Christian Jormin – “Provenance”

 

Anders Jormin & Christian Jormin - "Provenance"Bassist Anders Jormin is, perhaps, best known for his collaborations with Bobo Stenson and Charles Lloyd, though he’s also put out a decent set of music under his own name.  If you browse through the ECM catalog at any length, chances are, you’re gonna see Anders’ name listed amongst the credits of many good albums.  His brother Christian Jormin is also part of the Scandinavian scene, working that same peaceful quasi-jazz sound.  Of course, both brothers joined Mats Gustafsson on the Ornette Coleman tribute album Opus Apus, so it’s not like they can’t jack up the voltage on their music.

But that’s not what their new release Provenance is about.  This duo collaboration between the brothers Jormin is about quiet music for quiet rooms.  Tracks like “And Yet, I Wish You Well,” with its murmurs of bass arco, the rustle of percussion, and the solace of thoughtful, comforting words from piano, and “Laid on Straw,” with its bubbly cheerfulness expressed with a modicum of restraint or “Herding Song,” which takes a melancholy turn, these are the tones that represent the heart of this album.

A few tracks like “Bismillah” and “Villages and Rivers” dig into some upbeat material, but for the most part, this is an album of music that pairs well with sunrises on lazy Sunday mornings… solemn music that respects the silence sacrificed in order to give it a listen.

Your album personnel:  Anders Jormin (acoustic bass) and Christian Jormin (piano, percussion)

Released on Footprint Records & Naxos Sweden.

Available at:  eMusic | Amazon MP3