Matyas Wolter (sitar), Beate Wein (piano) & Aaron Christ (drums/percussion).
All songs written by Pulsar Trio.
rec. 14-18 December, 2011 in the living room of the Wein family
in Altdöbern, Germany. Engineer: Kai Mader. [49:41]
This is a first for me because though the late, great Ravi Shankar
introduced the sitar into Western classical music I have never before
heard it used in jazz as it is here where it replaces the usual string
instrument used in trios, the guitar. Its use gives each tune that
unique mysterious Eastern sound especially when it solos as in Himalayan
Swallow Song. It took a little time for my ear to acclimatise
itself to hearing a full disc with the sitar taking the lead role
but once it did it became a really rewarding experience. Trio leader
and sitarist Matyas Wolter trained in India and he uses his skills
to gently shoehorn the sitar into the jazz idiom where it sits very
comfortably alongside Beate Wein’s piano and Aaron Christ’s drums.
The original tunes fully exploit this unusual combo’s components in
innovative material producing a hypnotic mix of sounds, including
the use of the sound of dripping water as a bridge between tracks
3 and 4. It is difficult to pick out highlights but I especially liked
the opening track which allows each of the three to set out
their store and establish their collectively unique sound and I also
enjoyed Piloot II with its mesmerising repetitive drum beats
and the disc’s title track Erpelparka Suite. As a debut disc
it certainly hits the ground running and I have to admire a young
group taking the initiative of recording their disc in what I presume
was pianist Beate Wein’s parents’ house (and completing the DIY ‘feel’
the disc is released on First Hand Records home of a lot of interesting
releases, including classical). With both reflective pieces and those
that are full of pulsating rhythms the disc is endlessly fascinating
and I warmly welcome it into the continuingly evolving discography
of jazz.
Steve Arloff
CD Reviews
First Hand Records FHR17
