Rruga Colin Vallon, Samuel Rohrer, Patrice Moret

• 1 Telepathy 05:03
• 2 Rruga 04:34
• 3 Home 04:08
• 4 Polygonia 06:52
• 5 Eyjafjallajökull 04:54
• 6 Meral 05:08
• 7 Iskar 02:50
• 8 Noreia 05:07
• 9 Rruga (Variation) 06:32
• 10 Fjord 04:01
• 11 Epilog 04:48
• Total Runtime 53:57

Info for Rruga

“Rruga” is the ECM debut of an exceptional group, bringing fresh energy and new ideas to the piano trio tradition. Pianist Colin Vallon (born in Lausanne in 1980), has led his own trio since 1999, inviting bassist Patrice Moret (born in Aigle in 1972) and Samuel Rohrer (born in Bern in 1977) to join it in 2004. All three musicians are strong writers as well as original and subtle players. Produced by Manfred Eicher in the South of France (at Studios la Buissonne in Pernes-les-Fontaines), “Rruga” proposes a robust yet uncommonly sensitive music played by a young and well-travelled working band, with years of accumulated experience.

This is a piano trio whose gifted leader is influenced, he says, more by singers than pianists, and the group ‘sings’ in its own unique way – with an emphasis on melody, texture, shading, and dynamics. Restraint is a watchword: demonstrative, soloistic flights are avoided. This is group music that builds tension by holding back, until eruptive energies can no longer be resisted. One of the inspirational sources here is music of the Caucasus. In their pieces Vallon and company sometimes draw directly on music of the region. The collective composition “Iskar”, for instance, named for the river that runs through Sofia, references “Le Mystère Des Voix Bulgares”. “Rruga” itself (the title means “path” or “journey”), derives its momentum from a Turkish rhythm by Erkan Oğur. “Meral”, too, is influenced by Turkish folk music. These are some of the colours that inform this jazz trio.

For all three players on “Rruga” the development of the musical language of the trio is a special priority. Their range, as individual players, is wide. Rohrer for instance has drummed for free jazz titan Charles Gayle and, at the other sonic extreme, accompanied Susanne Abbuehl’s sung poetry. He also leads his own group Tree (with Claudio Puntin and Peter Herbert) and continues to work with the Wolfert Brederode Quartet (new ECM album soon). Patrice Moret, a bassist who combines the gravitas associated with the instrument with plenty of drive, has played with Uri Caine, Ellery Eskelin, Matthieu Michel and others. As piano soloist, Colin Vallon’s won numerous prizes. He plays in the world / folk-aligned quartet of singer Elina Duni (as does Moret). In diverse projects, Vallon has encountered Kenny Wheeler, Tom Harrell and Kurt Rosenwinkel, amongst many others.

"This is their ECM debut, and already expectations are running high for a trio that for at least two years now has been talked about in European circles as one of Europe's most promising bands. Rruga (meaning journey in Albanian) certainly suggests a group of considerable potential....They have a calculated understated style and an unhurried way of making a musical point - not rushing to the music denouement, but always selecting the most circuitous route, which speaks of a shared musical maturity rare among younger players... Exposing musical meaning is all to this band and the means they use to achieve it is never less than fascinating." (Stuart Nicolson, JazzWise)

Colin Vallon, piano
Patrice Moret, double-bass
Samuel Rohrer, drums

Recorded May 2010 at Studios La Buissonne, Pernes-les-Fontaines
Engineered Gérard de Haro and Nicolas Baillard
Produced by Manfred Eicher

No biography found.

Booklet for Rruga