By Don Phipps
The set of exquisite tone poems found on pianist and composer Benjamin
Lackner’s album Spindrift create pastel colors and the hazy
ambience of autumn in a cloud-shrouded forest. The subtle lines and
development that give life to this introspective outing can be found in the
soft, poignant, and graceful readings of Lackner, trumpeter Mathias Eick and
tenor sax player Mark Turner. And the sympathetic rhythm section of bassist
Linda May Han Oh and drummer Matthieu Chazarenc provide a solid yet buoyant
bottom. The effect – a respite from the turbulence and combustion of an
unsettled world.
Lackner wrote all but one of the pieces that grace the album (the exception
being Chazrenc’s “Chambary”), and each of them highlight unhurried
atmospheres, like breathing deep while viewing a panorama from a mountain
ridge. Each song seems to reflect a natural setting. For example, the title
cut “Spindrift” moves like a raft along a slow river current. Or the early
morning mysterious quality of “Mosquito Flats.” Or the rocky musical perch
of “More Mesa.”
There is also a sense of perspective. Take “Murnau,” where Eick and Turner,
who eschew tonguing their instruments in favor of gentle slurs, create just
the right tough of melancholy before Oh takes over, her wooden bass plucks
carefully crafted above Lackner’s chordal backing. And on “Anacapa,” Eick
and Turner’s dual voicings skip lightly above Lackner’s fingerings,
creating rays of tuneful sunlight that seem to float down from a forest
canopy. These tandem voicings, usually with Eick taking the melody and
Turner providing the harmony, can be heard on “Fair Warning,” “Out of the
Fog,” and “Chambary,” and the two players illustrate how the sounds of
trumpet and sax can be cooly blended to create impressionistic soundscapes.
“I seek solace in music and the process of composing is a form of
meditation for me,” says Lackner in the liner notes. “There may be bleaker
undercurrents on this album, coloured by underlying sadness, perhaps even
fear. But I do hear hope in there as well.” That said, one can also think
of Spindrift as a warm blanket on cold early morning – a set of
tunes you can wrap around yourself, alone in thought, drinking chamomile
tea with just the right amount of honey to sweeten the taste, readying
oneself to face the coming day. Enjoy.