Singular but not strange improvisational intersections from this Swiss trio of open-minded and masterful musicians--Hans Koch on clarinet, Frantz Loriot on viola and Jonas Kocher on accordion--highly compatible collaborators who have developed a unique language of chamber-oriented free improvisation that experiments at the convergence of compositional and chamber jazz forms.
Label: Bruit Editions + Neither / Nor Records Catalog ID: n/n 020 / Br12 Squidco Product Code: 33003
Format: CD Condition: New Released: 2023 Country: Switzerland / NY Packaging: Cardboard Gatefold Recorded at Kirche St. Maria in Ins, Switzerland, on February 25th, 2021, by Bojan Ugrinovsky. Mastered by Giuseppe Ielasi.
"The Swiss-based trio Koch/Loriot/Kocher formed in the summer of 2020 has kept developing a distinct musical identity ever since. The band makes use of insistently repeated motifs, broken melodic lines and occasional tonal harmonies cohabiting with pure sound production. The three musicians develop their respective materials in tension with each other: they are able to merge their sounds at any moment, but just as well might evolve their individual voices for a long time in parallel, without a priori seeking unity. The band's cohesion is achieved through the intense quality of listening and deep interaction that the three have honed, as well as by the blend of timbres that is reminiscent of European folk music."-Bruit Editions and Neither / Nor
"The title says it all, Stranger Becoming. Not "becoming stranger," but Stranger Becoming as in unusual yet attractive or tasteful. That certainly is a perfect descriptor for the music generated by the trio of Hans Koch(clarinet), Frantz Loriot (viola), and Jonas Kocher (accordion). All three have a background in classical music which serves as the foundation for the sound of this session. From that cornerstone the trio delves into free improvisations on these six tracks.
Their music is centered around a group chamber music sound with listening at its center. Cooperation is emphasized over soloing here to build differing textures of filtered colors and hues. The pacific approach of "All Told" involves a layering of steady unperturbed tones one over another. The effect is one of luxurious ease. Same for "A Fleeting Purchase" with its eerie and ethereal application of sustained notes. "Relinquished Rifles" inverts the mood with pecking clarinet and plucked viola chased by Kocher's accordion. The trio's playful aggression is resolved into the eventual group silence. "Found Bodies" takes its inspiration from the sounds of electronics artists. The trio makes the sound appear manipulated by way of their techniques. With no electronics in the studio, the playing is quite amazing. Finally, "Stranger Becoming" is a woven tapestry of breathy clarinet, eerie viola notes, and accordion keys pressed one after another interwoven into a kind of beautiful musical prayer."-Mark Corroto, All About Jazz