This is one of the most unusual trios it has been my pleasure to some across; hard-hitting heavy drummer Ted Parsons, most famous for Swans, Prong and Godflesh; prog-leaning fretless bassist Dave Sturt, who had stints with Gong, Jade Warrior and closer to home The Anthropology Band; and jazz-adjacent keyboardist Roy Powell, long term Bill Laswell collaborator and leader of numerous other line-ups.
The opening piece, with its meditative, drifting intro, is sparse, its make-up as yet unclear, like a planet coalescing from disparate parts. The fretless bass, elastic and mysterious, creeps into your consciousness and the ambient sensibilities are tempered by cymbal washes that appear midway through, accompanied by pastoral piano. Three very different ingredients, all awash with echo evoking an enormous empty room with the three players huddled right in the centre, oblivious to their cavernous surroundings.
I have to say, I was surprised by how measured Ted’s contribution was; rhythmic structure only becoming apparent two-thirds of the way through, the hypnotic piano and wavering bass meaning three suddenly become one. There is such warmth in the bass and when Roy switches to organ, the piece gathers further momentum and hits a groove that is way off limits. The sustain is incredible as the piano makes its romantic, melancholy way. A bed of seahorse electronics and a rumour of bass allows a song to dictate the need for content. Nobody is rushing to fill up the void, and instead space is allowed to drift before any rhythmic interjection might be considered. When it arrives, it always changes the mood, drums shattered by echo, leaving shards of sound spraying around the bass anchor, interspersed with other less obvious elements. Each piece here is very different, with percussion on “Any The Wiser” sounding like somebody smashing a garage door way in the distance, while “Rewire My Subtext” is more soundtrack-based, with all three diverse parts somehow coalescing into a sturdy, rhythmic whole.The final piece was recorded live and perhaps this is the ideal experience as the sounds gradually emerge from slow, suffocating spaces, timbral ranges stretched to tearing. It is dark, shadowy and portentous as effects screech, percussion rattles, troubling the teeth with the bass barely recognisable. Gradual murmurs of structure and the integration of unexpected sounds finding common ground amongst wind-borne detritus. A slow percussive rhythm draws away from the fractured fear and into something engaging as the V8 organ surges, the bulbous, wandering bass propels and the trio suddenly find a way out of the darkness and into hearts of the audience.
Considering what these three diverse players bring to the party, you could be forgiven for assuming This Celestial Engine might be a noise fest; but is a heartfelt and measured collection that allows space for all, with no one person hogging the limelight. They work so well together, drawing the best from one another, knowing exactly how to engage the listener and knowing exactly what is best for the song. Whether this is a one-off or the start of a beautiful friendship, This Celestial Engine is an excellent example of why the trio is best and how satisfying something can be from unlikely ingredients.-Mr Olivetti-
