Music is harmony, even in jazz. But with their new album Beamo, Leszek Możdżer, Lars Danielsson and Zohar Fresco go one better: the sounds of an - apparently - out-of-tune piano are harmony! Don't you believe it?

The first track Ambio Bluette is already a statement. Solid bass, rhythmic, groovy, the listener swings in - and starts skidding. The piano is... - crooked!?! It is. And yet it sounds good. Even very good. The dissonance of the subtle shift in tone creates a tension that demands attention and at the same time keeps it there.

The situation is similar with Feu d'Or and Appropinquate, which, in addition to the dissonance of the strings, also plays with intervals that are not exactly characterised by the charm of flattery. In Decaphonesca, the use of decaphonic intervals also extends to the viola da gamba, with which bassist Danielsson takes us on another exciting journey of discovery.

However, this is not to say that Beamo is a purely dissonant album and sets out to position itself as an intellectual challenge for music lovers. Quite the opposite.

Because ‘the grand piano’ is actually three grand pianos that are tuned differently: the first in the usual tuning with A at 440 Hz, the second with A at 432 Hz and the third in a decaphonic tuning, which means that the octave is not divided into eight but into ten equal intervals. If a piece is then played on different pianos at the same time, the apparent detuning results.

But this should not upset anyone. For one thing, the recording is of excellent quality, making it very easy to follow the acoustic events.

Secondly, the attempt to sound out the possibilities of sound provides new scope (and at the same time room for manoeuvre), which will certainly be taken up by others in order to expand the possibilities of musical expression.

And finally, Beamo also contains tracks that offer the ear the purest euphony. This applies, for example, to Brim On or Enjoy the Silence and even more so to Gilado, which is downright enchanting with its melodiousness. And all of this is harmony, as announced at the beginning of this text.

Don't believe it?

Then listen for yourself. Beamo is worth it. (Thomas Semmler, HighResMac)

Leszek Możdżer, Fazioli piano (A = 440 Hz equal temperament), Steinway piano (A = 432 Hz equal temperament), Östlind & Almquist piano (A = 440 Hz decaphonic tuning)
Lars Danielsson, double bass, cello & viola da gamba
Zohar Fresco, frame drums, percussion & vocals

Recorded 18-22.09.2023 at Monochrom Studio (Poland) by Piotr Taraszkiewicz, assisted by Ignacy Gruszecki (Mono-chrom Studio) Additional cello parts recorded 12.12.2023 at Tia Dia Studios, Mölnlycke (Sweden) by Piotr Taraszkiewicz
Brim On & Jacob’s Ladder were performed at A = 432 Hz equal temperament Decaphonesca was performed in dec-aphonic tuning
Enjoy the Silence was performed at 440 Hz tuning
All the other music was performed with the simulta-neous use of two or three tunings mixed together (440 Hz, 432 Hz and decaphonic tuning)