Thomas Strønen, Food, Iain Ballamy – Quiet Inlet (2010) [Official Digital Download 24bit/96kHz]

Thomas Strønen, Food, Iain Ballamy – Quiet Inlet (2010)
FLAC (tracks) 24 bit/96 kHz | Time – 47:01 minutes | 795 MB | Genre: Jazz
Studio Masters, Official Digital Download | Front Cover | © ECM

Food has defined a new kind of lyrical electro-acoustic improvisation in the course of its twelve year existence. Founded as a quartet in 1998, since 2006 the group has been a core duo of UK saxophonist Iain Ballamy and Norwegian drummer Thomas Strønen joined by guests for diverse projects. At the Molde Jazz Festival and the Oslo Blå club in 2007/8 their guests were trumpeter Nils Petter Molvær, well known to ECM followers, and Austrian improvising guitarist Christian Fennesz making his label debut. The resultant music, with melodic improvising, trancelike pulses, and shifting clouds of sound is highly attractive.

Quiet Inlet is the perfect title for this project by the duo Food, co-led by drummer Thomas Stronen and saxophonist Iain Ballamy. An exercise in texture music via electronica, Stronen and Ballamy take their time constructing lush, late-night vistas of layered sounds, with depth more important than pace. Hardly any variation in tempo can be heard, as sparse percussion accents prompt Ballamy’s expansive tenor or soprano saxophone sounds. Only on the funky “Mictyris” in 7/8 time does the ensemble veer away from cloudy soundscapes. Special guest trumpeter Nils Petter Molvaer — a true pioneer of modern electronic film noir-type music — is heard invading the space during “Dweller,” while guitarist Christian Fennesz takes a subsidiary role on select tracks, rather than a frontman’s stance. As dreamy music goes, this CD is not only a departure from the ECM catalog, but could be a portent toward the future of a new style of contemporary music. –AllMusic Review by Michael G. Nastos

Tracklist:
01. Thomas Strønen, Food, Iain Ballamy – Tobiko (07:08)
02. Thomas Strønen, Food, Iain Ballamy – Chimaera (05:00)
03. Thomas Strønen, Food, Iain Ballamy – Mictyris (05:41)
04. Thomas Strønen, Food, Iain Ballamy – Becalmed (07:52)
05. Thomas Strønen, Food, Iain Ballamy – Cirrina (06:16)
06. Thomas Strønen, Food, Iain Ballamy – Dweller (06:23)
07. Thomas Strønen, Food, Iain Ballamy – Fathom (08:39)

Personnel:
Thomas Strønen, drums, live-electronics
Iain Ballamy, tenor and soprano saxophones
Nils Petter Molvær, trumpet, electronics
Christian Fennesz, guitar, electronics

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