1. Beethoven No.7, 2nd Movement
2. The Soul
3. Spiritual Monk
4. Exodus To Star Wars I
5. Louverture
6. Eros
7. Exodus To Star Wars II
8. Mother Earth
9. Into The Mystic
10. Exodus To Star Wars III
11. A Child Is Born
12. Masks
13. Star War Theme
14. The World Needs More Heroes
This is David Helbock's first album for ACT and on this showing it's a marriage made in heaven. Of course, the 32 year old Austrian pianist and composer is
not exactly new on the scene. His initial album (self released) came out as long ago as 1998 and since then he has featured on fourteen other discs prior
to this one. He's clearly someone who relishes a challenge. In April 2010, he released his so-called Personal Realbook which contained a fresh composition
for each day of the entire year! In the first instance studying classical piano, this prize winning talent has toured extensively. He is joined here by two
of his compatriots. Unusually, Raphael Preuschl plays a bass ukelele on the disc. The drummer Reinhold Schmölzer has written for a big band, as well as for
smaller groups and played in both.
Helbock tells us in the liner notes that, while music can be understood rationally and appreciated emotionally, his aim is to explore how it might be
experienced mystically. Hence the album's title, I guess. There's an interesting facet of the CD, which is the way the theme from the film Star Wars keeps recurring, once as a separate treatment and three times linked with the theme from an earlier film, Exodus. For me, the
initial version is the best. On Exodus To Star Wars III, his third bite at that particular cherry, he sounds at one point as if he's about to
burst into the main theme from Cinema Paradiso instead. This slight idiosyncracy in his choice of material doesn't detract from the overall impact
of his music. The Soul, for example, a Helbock original inspired by Hafez, the Persian Sufi poet of the 14th century, has both vigour
and momentum whilst producing contrasting moments of stillness and storm. The approach reminded me of the great Esbjörn Svensson Trio.Spiritual Monk (a tribute to Thelonious?) again combines thoughtfulness with attack. Helbock's compositional skills continue to impress on Eros and Masks. Eros is sensitive and, at times, intense. Masks has an exceptional solo from Preuschl who provides
intelligent support at all times. There's more than a hint of Keith Jarrett from Helbock on this one.
The track I enjoyed most was A Child Is Born. Helbock's delicate yet forceful take on this lovely Thad Jones theme is a tour de force, although
with moments that were strangely ominous. Those who relish crossover may enjoy Beethoven's Seventh, Second Movement. I've mentioned the
distinctive contribution made by Raphael Preuschl on bass ukelele but Reinhold Schmölzer on drums deserves credit for the power (and subtlety) of his
playing also. Try Mother Earth or The World Needs More Heroes to sample his versatility.
In conclusion, David Helbock is a quirky and orginal musician who uses all the piano and summons up every mood. His eclecticism adds to the interest for
the listener. With the Star Wars emphasis on this disc in mind, I'll surrender to the obvious and say that the Force is clearly with him and his
trio!
James Poore
CD Reviews
