Singlar 2005 Gul 3

November 20, 2005

Broken Face

http://brokenface.fupp.net

My relationship with jazz has been somewhat complicated ever since my dad treated my ears to a substantial dose of traditional jazz during the majority of my childhood. As a matter of fact I can’t remember listening to anything but my dad’s jazz records when growing up.

In my teens I decided that I hated pretty much all of it and it took me quite a while to get over that first impression and although jazz by no means dominates my record collection today that specific genre stands for a significant part of it.

My way back to conventionally structured jazz was unquestionably through extreme free jazz but in recent years I’ve found myself more and more drawn towards languid, textural jazz concoctions that not are about showing off, rather about exploring emotions and creating a specific tone.

Swedish Gul 3 does just that and their Singular album grooves gently and only briefly disappears into shrieking sax explosions, so nothing really gets in the way of the mellow musical flow present here.

Their slow motion playing style and predilection for minimalism sets them apart from most of their contemporaries but choosing this sonic approach also makes the interplay between the saxophone, cello and percussion crucial.

I am happy to report that no player takes too much space; everyone is at the center of this telepathic sound journey. There’s an unplanned beauty to get lost in here, which no matter instrumental focal point will be remembered, for its whole rather than its parts. Explorational, surprisingly subdued and highly inventive.