Yoga might help

Simon Nabatov. I can’t remember when I first heard him, but I sure know the first record I bought he was on. That was by the Perry Robinson Quartet. Can I write a post on Perry Robinson? Hayden once decoyed me into Cologne on the strong hint that Perry Robinson might make a surprise appearance. I forget about the pianist on that record I bought.

More seriously, Simon has had a string of records out mostly on Leo that have garnered rave reviews in the few media I manage to follow. He has lots of snippets on his own website, http://www.nabatov.com, a moment ago I listened to a duo with Steve Lacy, which is ridiculous in the good sense of the word, two pianists tripping over themselves to make Lacy sound starker than ever. Right now I have a trio piece with Ernst Reijseger and Michael Vatcher on the headphones, for M. F., which I hope stands for Morton Feldman. Maybe that best hints at the scope of Simon’s music, he usually can do it all and a bit more, and sometimes he makes it sound a little easier than it actually is, but when he gets into both the jazz and the new music thing at the same time, spacing out while crowding in, that’s where he is at. For me. In any case, do visit his site, and don’t be surprised if you waste half a day.

Less seriously, Simon has made me buy a Cracklebox. He had one at the LOFT festival I mentioned before, and played it during rehearsals (it’s sort of a mini synthesizer with an inbuilt loudspeaker that you play by stroking the circuitry, if I may say so). I was disappointed that he didn’t play it on the gig. What I can definitely report is that Simon’s own inbuilt power circuits make much more sense than mine, because when I touch the Cracklebox it sounds positively rude. Yoga might help.

Here we have a new trackfrom the LOFT last month, with Hayden on sax and Jonas Burgwinkel on drums. It starts like the very definition of something plush, but with an edge, hear how Simon upholsters every move the melody makes, call it innerspring improvisation. By the end of the tune, after a filmic interlude, there are hints at a different story to evolve, usually called world music, but let’s tackle that part of the program tomorrow.

(PS: Hayden, what’s with the vibrato?)

Lutz