Artist: Balžalorsky / Drašler 3o
Label: Radio Študent
Released: 2011
Runtime: 53:11
Rating: 3.5/5
The jazz combo Balžalorsky / Drašler 3o has just given birth to its studio debut, “Wu-Wei”. It’s a folder of eight original tracks put together by three talented youngsters, armed with skill and talent and with names you may well have come across before, since these three music enthusiasts have so far been testing the limits of their musical expression in projects and lineups like Rebaldr, Kombo Zlatka Kavčiča, Buče 4, Cene Resnik Free Kvartet, Zmajev Rep, Malik, Litošt, Prva Druga Liha, Ophidian and Hydronium Trio.
The CD is a fine blend and a walk down the golden middle between accessible, new-era jazz forms. The guys occasionally brush up against the classic retro impulses of bop, and in all of it they squeeze out just the right amount of free-spiritedness for improvisational escapes, which creates the real foundation for the original interest and appeal of this album, so it’s likely to catch the ear of more demanding listeners too.
The trio isn’t reinventing the wheel. Instead, they sail through a tried-and-tested form where they feel right at home, like a fish in water. The organic yet firmly tangible web of chemistry between guitar, double bass and drums delivers that sought-after feeling of liveliness, stringing together a warm and thoroughly natural-sounding musical landscape, which the guys of course paint with a delightful dose of experimentation, drawing on their innate knack for free musical improvisation.
Guitar work has the final say on the album, and it’s the main element setting the amount of predictable, mainstream-scented jazz “planing” and wisely placed detours into juicy jazz experiment. In terms of associations, this middle-of-the-road stroll can perhaps, in milder doses, be linked to the work (from years past) of the wondrous trio of Pat Metheny, Roy Haynes and Dave Holland. If on tracks like Hi, Just Passing By, Fido and Slon the band mostly just gently strokes and licks the listener’s ears, then Room 16 and Rubato Per 1. in the closing stretch of the album offer a bolder revelation of free-form jazz improvisation, tipping the scales of expression toward unpredictability and spontaneity. Even though the drums are mostly condemned to licking the cymbals and “innocent” brushwork, and the double bass to emphasizing a firm yet constantly active and wonderfully supple rhythmic springiness, the trio keeps shaking off the fear of falling into the trap of a uniform, predictable template, with a steady flow of motivic twists as well as plenty of leaps between rhythmic textures.
Even though the album doesn’t serve up a hard-to-swallow mouthful, not even for less demanding listeners, its expressive strength lies in a lively, breathing musical dialogue that convincingly leaves the impression of a studio concert, and therefore of liveliness. You can tell these instrumentalists have racked up some serious (concert!) mileage, because the album has a clearly emphasized and sculpted focus and character, which the trio sticks to faithfully. There’s no fear of the album falling apart, its motifs fragmenting into an untested and hard-to-digest conglomerate of musical chaos, whether from pretentiousness in following the tracks of musical experiment or from the trio’s effort to force a sense of avant-garde-ness at all costs.
Something for everyone, then. Still, the music of Balžalorsky / Drašler 3o absolutely has to be experienced at live shows, because on stage the trio’s expressive character only really lights up in full glory. “Wu-Wei” offers a pleasant jazzy tickle for the ears, the kind you can sip an afternoon cup of tea to while nibbling a crunchy croissant, with no fear of it ruining your day. No need to plunge into the untested waters of musical experiment, and all of it under the baton of a steady middle-of-the-road stroll along the dividing line between the predictable element and the detour of free-spirited, free-roaming curiosity. No revolution, but pleasant all the way through.
Lineup
Vitja Balžalorsky – guitar
Jošt Drašler – double bass
Vid Drašler – drums, percussion
Production
Claudio Zambenedetti & Balžalorsky / Drašler 3o
Tracklist
1. Hi, Just Passing By
2. Fido
3. E.C.M. (Elegant Chaotic Music)
4. Slon
5. Clown’s Bounce
6. Nepturno
7. Room 16
8. Rubato per J.
