Continuum

Nik Bärtsch first unleashed his Ritual Groove Music concept on the world with the release of RITUAL GROOVE MUSIC, by Nik Bärtsch’s Mobile, in 2001. Characterized by what sounds at first to be unchanging pieces of music, closer, careful listening reveals intricate polyrhythms at work, interacting with subtly changing melodic structures that, rather than bore, caused me to focus my attention on the patterns. I’ve been listening to him for 15 years or so, and I have always found it to be an incredibly rewarding experience. This is genre-defying music that, for want of a more rigid classification, I’ve filed under ‘jazz’ – but as diverse as ‘jazz’ can be, it does little justice to Bärtsch’s work. There’s little or no improvisation going on in his recordings – the musicians improvise mainly in the construction of the pieces, working out the arrangements of Nik’s compositions as a band. When they perform them on stage, each note is precisely placed and executed – it’s really pretty breathtaking on close listening, with the ability to transport this listener. Bärtsch has an amazing ability to play with each hand working independently in different tempos. Anyone out there who plays the piano, think about that for a moment. We’re talking about rhythm structures of, for example, 15/4 working with/against something like 5/8. Like a lot of African music that utilizes polyrhythms, the two tempos seem at times to clash, then work their way back around in the cycle until they’re in sync briefly, only to fly off in two different directions again. If it sounds complex, it is. Add to that the rest of the band churning away in the same manner, and you get quite the audio stew.Bärtsch also leads Nik Bärtsch’s Ronin on several releases, with slightly different personnel. Each band has its own specific aesthetic – I won’t attempt as a lay listener to explain them, but I enjoy them both immensely. CONTINUUM is the first Mobile release since AER in 2004. Musicians on this new recording (just out this week), credited as Mobile Expanded, are Bärtsch (piano, compositions), Sha (bass clarinet, contrabass clarinet), Kaspar Rast (drums, percussion), Nicolas Stocker (drums, tuned percussion), Etienne Abelin (violin), Ola Sendecki (violin), David Schnee (viola), Solme Hong (cello) and Ambrosius Huber (cello). This is the first recording released of Bärtsch working with strings, and I have to say it works beautifully. The strings are sometimes played bowed, sometimes, plucked, sometimes struck – but the fit right in, both rhythmically and in the melodic wash.This arrived Friday (it was scheduled for tomorrow, and I’m glad it got here early!), and it’s been in pretty heavy rotation in my car. There’s a lot of delicacy and subtlety in this music, but it’s also capable of unbridled power that can lift the listener off the ground. In other words, turn it up.

Swiss pianist and composer Nik Bärtsch has issued some remarkable albums consisting of a series of so-called Moduls, which are minimalistic, tribal, ritualistic, sometimes trance-dance-like explorations. His new group Mobile includes clarinetist Sha and two drummer and percussionists Kaspar Ras and Nicolas Stocker, and on this album Continuum he has added a string quintet of two violins, viola, and two cellos. The emphasis is somewhat different than with his group Ronin by being less funky and even more open-ended, dramatic and theatrical. While ECM free jazz and improvisational, it has the spirit of avant-garde classical. The rhythms and modes may swing or enchant, may be emotionally dark and mysterious or amusing and frenetic. The strings with their sustained notes offer a different feeling, of edgy chamber music, to the otherwise percussive sound. At the end of the fifth track, Modul 60, there is a suggestion of folk music, and the next Modul 4 reminds me of the feverish section of Stravinsky's Rite of Spring when the tension rises. With repetitive, wavelike pitch rising and lowering and increasing intensity of drumming, the following track concentrates our focus, as a mantra. The final track, Modul 8_11, begins with 'prepared' piano and xylophone chimes and the rhythm shifts to a bouncy, funky beat. It is the 'release' required in rituals and allows the listener/participant to dance away in spiritual freedom. Bärtsch is certainly unique in the musical world, and his compositions/studies are attractive and innovative within the narrow niche of core ritualistic art.

I am a Nik Bartsch addict. I confess. I listen to his stuff a lot, and can both focus on his work or let it be a background while I work. I have most of his recorded stuff. Love some of the Youtube videos too as it is fun seeing where the various sounds are coming from. Dig it. e

Nik Bartsch's music retains my attention, and I keep coming back for more. It never tires me out. I think that's a great compliment, since I can only say that about less than half of the music currently out there.

Titled exactly right, it is all about continuum. I'd love to see/hear him venture off path a bit more, as a risk.

the best of ECMStellar as usual

Very intriguing.

I really Nik Bartsch and his style of modern jazz that has a cross over into classical, it`s the sort of music I can get lost in sort of meditative.

Absolutely top notch - highly recommended.

Brilliant - Nik Bartsch is one of the most imaginative musicians around today.

Nik bärtsch ist ein geheimtip. Seine musik trägt dich fort auf eine reise von der man einfach nur staunen kann. Alles was herr bärtsch produziert ist mit herz und muse gespielt. Keine songs die einfach mal so auf cd gedruckt werden, sondern ein stück leben das er mit den zuhörern teilt.Der hörer entscheidet selbst und es liegt an ihm, ob und wie er die musik auf sich wirken lässt.

Trabalho exemplar com uma qualidade de gravação excepcional e acabamento ao estilo da ECM. Para que gosta de boa musica essa versão em Vinil é quase que obrigatória.