Danish trumpeter Kasper Tranberg has been playing with the trio of bassist/cellist Nils Davidsen and drummer Frands Rifbjerg for the best part of thirty years and that warm sense of comfort comes through clearly on this beautifully produced and eclectic collection of covers.
It ranges from Richard Rodgers and Lorenz Hart through Ornette Coleman to the more unusual likes of Masabumi Kikuchi and CV Jorgensen. All the way through the album, though the clarity of sound sparkles, the definition between the three players is just right and the overall mood transient, moving from the melancholy delicacy of opener “Little Abi” right on to the more mournful cello drone infused “En Stor Dag”.
There is plenty of space for Kasper’s delicate tendrils to permeate the listener’s world, the soft-fingered bass giving a sense of cool adventure. You can hear their love of classic jazz, but their style is steeped in a freer, looser concoction. It stretches to reach the spaces in the room, the ambience of which is a big factor in the vibe of Nobody’s Heart; the sparse shuffle of percussion a tentative push. It all sounds so fresh, a purity that the subtle energy of the bass propels with the supportive momentum of the drums. Flights of fancy have a sleepy intimacy and the drum solo that opens Jimmy Garrison‘s “Gettin’ On Way” is a miniature delight, the loping bass managing to be both free and contained somehow.The different tempos and selection of material employed on the album make for a moving but balanced journey, a classic sound updated, allowing the juxtaposition of their ghostly interpretation of Rodgers and Hart’s titular “Nobody’s Heart” to rub shoulders with the hypnotic groove of Paul Motion‘s “Circle Dance”.
There is a lovely sinuous cello break on their playful rendition of “Ukendt / Bitter Funeral Beer”, its dreamy movement replete with unexpected textures and feels the diametric opposite of the closer “En Stor Dag”, its mournful trumpet tone and on-off cello drone painting a picture of a lonesome soul waiting for something that will never return. There is a brief flurry of hope which leads to nowt and leaves the listener eager for more.-Mr Olivetti-
