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I Am Three: In Other Words
ByIt is a relatively short album, coming in at under forty minutes with eleven tracks. Nevertheless, it feels the right size as there is no meandering. Rather, Eberhard, Neuser and Marien give each piece its due, with plenty of strong playing and focused interactions, without getting bogged down in pointless digressions. Although Eberhard may be the best known of the three, she is limited to two compositions here, "Birthday Song" and "Fast Slow," both of which exhibit her trademark craftiness, having well-designed structures with generous room for maneuvering. Neuser especially shines on these cuts, with growls and splutterings alternating with limpid precision, and always in close rapport with Eberhard, while Marien manages both to maintain the pulse and to offer creative interjections throughout.
Marien composed five tracks, characterized by his usual feisty unpredictability. His penchant for a strong groove and tricky melodies is clearly realized on the almost too-brief opener, "Übersprungshandlung," not to mention the tempestuous, ironically-named "Pattersson Blues," which is not a blues. It is just another of Marien's wily compositions, played at a fast clip with razor-sharp unison lines from Eberhard and Neuser. Not to be outdone, Neuser contributes some terrific pieces too, with "Wait a Second" providing another ideal vehicle for the two horns' impassioned banter, and Marien's relentlessly punchy drumming keeping things barrelling forward. The album's closing track, Neuser's "Poem for Valentin," is especially arresting, with Marien providing a foundation of ominous rumblings on the toms while Eberhard and Neuser convey the piece's searching lyricism.
Fueled by three players with an abundance of skill and creativity, In Other Words leaves nothing wanting in its choice to move beyond Mingus, and it is certainly worthy of repeated encounters.
Track Listing
Übersprungshandlung; Cordinale; Birthday Song; Blues in Aspik; Wait a Second; Fast Slow; Mau Mau; Kellerballade; Pleitereiher; Pattersson Blues; Poem for Valentin.
Personnel
Album information
Title: In Other Words | Year Released: 2024 | Record Label: Leo Records
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I Am Three
Album Review
Troy Dostert
In Other Words
Leo Records
Silke Eberhard
Nikolaus Neuser
Christian Marien
Maggie Nicols