The Sound Lounge once again played host to the fabulous sounds of the Alister Spence trio. A band that seems to gain in stature at each and every performance. Brimming with confidence following a successful UK and Canadian tour and for this outing, they celebrated the launch of the finest of their three albums to date ‘Mercury’ on Rufus Records.
The bandstand laid waiting with the traditional trio instruments along with a laptop and glockenspiel. The trio performed the pieces in album sequence including the shorter improvised intros that were generally underscored by samples of either piano or glockenspiel. The audience was hip enough to refrain from applause between intros and the actual pieces, which intensified the tension.
The dynamics of these new compositions are underpinned by a rhythmic drive that only occasionally bubbled to the surface on previous albums. While there was solo space for all three, the arrangements ensured all three were actively participating conceptually virtually all the time. This made for compelling entertainment, but even more so for a piano trio.
On ‘Luminescence’ Swanton played with the bow just above the bass’ bridge while Spence used piano sampling to supplement the sound.
‘Eagle man’ is about a traditional hunt for a buried figurine at Point Plummer in the states north. A family holiday tradition that became the basis for a scrambling composition which features Hall digging and snatching his drums, painting the image of the Spence kids desperate to find the Eagle man first. We didn’t find out what the prize was!
Read the full review at www.jazzandbeyond.com.au