Andrea Keller Trio Strings and Voices: Flicker and Polar Bird

Editor's Choice

Rating: ★★★★

Record and Artist Details

Musicians:

Miroslav Bukovsky (t, f)
Andrea Keller
Véronique Serret (v)
Liam Budge (v)
John Mackey (as)
Rachael Thoms (v)

Label:

Self-release/Bandcamp

February/2024

Media Format:

2 CD, DL

Catalogue Number:

AK015

RecordDate:

Rec. 8 July 2022–January 2023

Award-winning pianist, composer and educator Andrea Keller is a giant of the Australian jazz scene, and an internationally regarded figure whose technical prowess, creative smarts and drive to promote new, younger artists has long marked her out as a force to be reckoned with. Her oeuvre is as substantial as it is eclectic, peppered with sequels and prequels (and here, 'flickers' of memory), with waltz-time, doom metal and swing; with passages redolent of everyone from Keith Jarret to cool minimalists such as Arvo Part and Julius Eastman - but ultimately sounding only like herself.

This double album, Keller's 23rd release, celebrates her wide-ranging collaborations by cherry-picking compositions from 2010 to 2022 and including several unreleased tracks, 2010's Adelaide Festival-commissioned 'Pennies from Eve' among them; string sections recorded in Sydney and Canberra add a lush autumnal vibe while reinforcing her reputation as a consummate arranger. Tracks featuring the trio of trumpeter Miroslav Bukovsky and saxophonist John Mackey linger longer - the attention-grabbing 'Polar Bird' manages to be both intimate and immense - while 'I Am A Little Church', all spacious grace and yearning vocals, feel cleansing, powerful. An essential work by Andrea Keller, a truly extraordinary artist.

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