It’s great to be able to buy a Jasper Høiby album on CD again as the last couple have only been available on vinyl or download. Høiby first came to notice as a member of the Phronesis trio who toured a few times to the north east, most notably on the Walking Dark tour which, if I remember correctly, was a tribute to Høiby’s sister, who was blind, with the concerts being illuminated only by the emergency exit signs, all other lighting extinguished. Since Phronesis, Høiby has operated as a bandleader in Fellow Creatures and now leads his constantly changing 3 Elements trio in which he has been the only constant member. Across this period he has increasingly turned to the environment for his inspiration, most notably on the Plan B album.
Conversations of Hope is the first album by the newly constituted
version of 3 Elements and, no disrespect to the other two, it sounds like a
bassist’s album. Høiby’s muscular, rumbling bass is the dominant feature, high
in the mix, across the whole album, indeed some of the tracks are opened with a
few bars of bass as if to give the other lads direction. Torres and Acuna are,
however, no shrinking violets and by the album’s assertive closer, Alight with Fire, Torres is matching Høiby
for muscularity with a pounding solo.
Opener, Consider the Balance, begins
with a descending, chiming bass line that quickly settles into a rolling,
knotty groove over a delicate piano motif. It’s dark and ominous; glowering
music. Torres’ epic solo is full of long, intricate lines and heavy left hand
punctuation; Høiby’s bass throbs forcefully behind him. The title track
captures the idea of hope perfectly; fluid and yearning with bass and piano
beautifully interwoven. The highlight of the set, IMHO, is the following track,
Safe Passage, with its thumping bass
and cracking drums and Torres weaving his piano lines through it all.
Delicacy returns, along with the striving for hope on The Sound Air Makes, with the bass
leading us out of the gloom and the elegant piano rising up the hill into
better air. Whilst Torres’ piano is foregrounded the bass is dancing and
punching only slightly behind.
The lasting impression is of vibrancy and passion throughout the album,
three voices, forceful, taking and surrendering the lead and always with that
heavyweight, thunderous bass as the dominant voice. The music pauses at times,
takes a breath and drives on, leaving and stealing space; a panoramic sound
from only three musicians. Another one for the album of the year lists. Dave Sayer
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