THE SWIFTER - The Swifter

Andrea Belfi on drums, BJ Nilsen on electronics and Simon James Phillips on piano. A trio of wonders capable of speaking a language somewhere between jazz and ambient, more dreamlike than cosmic: Belfi's drumming is the bridge between BJ Nilsen's electroacoustics and Phillips's intensely lyrical pianism. The sound of cymbals caressed and struck in the manner of Paul Motian is the glue holding together seemingly distant worlds: nothing feels out of place in the liquid sonic architectures improvised on The Swifter.

The album was recorded inside the Grunewald Church in Berlin in September 2001, with great care taken over the acoustic reverberations of the space. The main beneficiary was Belfi's drumming, which in the final mix seems to move liquidly through space as in the finest ECM productions. Nilsen's electronics also play a key role in emphasizing the echo and reflections of the sound, having manipulated the tones of the Bösendorfer played by Phillips for the occasion in order to highlight its details. The result isn't far removed from the atmospheres found on the incredible records by The Necks (whose pianist, Chris Abrahams, actually collaborated with Phillips on the Pedal project a few years ago).

The idea of "space" lets the four lengthy improvisations on the album flow with great naturalness. Every detail of the making of "The Swifter" was handled with great care: from the choice of microphones used during the recording to the cover photo, for which Chris Bigg was brought in, renowned for his work on David Sylvian's albums and on many of 4AD's masterpieces.

The album is available in a limited vinyl edition and as a digital download (flac).

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29/11/2012