baars, kneer, elgart – thrīe thrēo drī
recorded on january 8, 2021 by christian betz at berlinaudio, berlin
mixing: christian betz
mastering: alexis baskind
producer: meinrad kneer
executive producer: ulli blobel
design & artwork: herbert weisrock
jazzwerkstatt: jw215
more information/ order cd’s:
bandcamp
trio’s website
lineup
ab baars – tenor saxophone, clarinet, shakuhachi
meinrad kneer – double bass
bill elgart – drums
critique
from the instant one presses play, the sound seizes the ears. “verticality” is an in-your-face assault, with baars inflicting energy via his barking tenor saxophone, plus the pulled notes of german bassist kneer and the quicksilver drums of elgart. this trio began as a duo between baars and kneer, who released windfall (evil rabbit records, 2010), but grew into this trio with american-born elgart, now living in germany. the trio has released three previous recordings, two live and one studio session. this recording, also a studio session, might be the most captivating of all. baars works through the music on tenor saxophone, clarinet and shakuhachi. his sound on clarinet ranges from the bubbly carbonation of “high rider” to the razor-edged “a day like any other,” and the flowing “boulder clay movement no. 1.” the latter piece, accented by elgart’s cymbals and stick, and kneer’s bowed bass, flows with a cinematographic grace. baars’ sound on shakuhachi, a japanese bamboo flute, traces the upper stratosphere on “alternative experimental assembly x” and “aerolith” with kneer’s bowed bass also breaking free of gravity and elgart acting as the consummate colorist.
mark corroto, all about jazz, december 3, 2021
tracklist
01. verticality | 11:38
02. high rider | 08:13
03. boulder clay movement no.1 | 06:54
04. the duck stays between the teeth | 09:32
05. alternative experimental assembly x | 06:25
06. a day like any other | 09:09
07. all other forms of matter and energy | 13:50
08. aerolith | 05:47
total playing time: 71:31