Andre Canniere – Coalescence
(Whirlwind WR4642. CD Review by Chris Parker)

Echoing Michael Janisch’s uncanny ability to light on musicians whose work will suit and ornament his label, US-born, UK-resident trumpeter Andre Canniere has demonstrated unerring taste in choosing sympathetic bandmates for this, his second album on Whirlwind.

The leader/composer has a rich and varied tonal palette, each trumpet contribution carefully calibrated to serve his compositional purposes, which range from ecological protest (‘Gaslands’) and musings on US gun crime (‘Point Zero’) to more personal material dealing with the musician’s need for constant travel (‘Nylon’) or reminiscences sparked by place names (‘Sweden Hill’, ‘Gibbs and East’, ‘Elk Run’), and given that Canniere himself acknowledges that ‘One of the great challenges in composing instrumental music is finding ways to connect to a specific subject or concept, much like you would with a song containing lyrics’, the selection of suitable musical partners is clearly of vital importance to him.

In Ivo Neame he has found a pianist who – as in his work with Phronesis – is more interested in timbre and textural subtlety than in reeling off dazzling solos; in Austrian guitarist Hannes Riepler a similarly sensitive accompanist and pithy, cogent soloist; and in bassist Ryan Trebilcock and drummer Jon Scott (who are also featured on Riepler’s recent Jellymould album The Brave) a supremely adaptable rhythm section.

Scott, in particular, is a crucial presence, whether rapping out the more straightforward, brisker rhythms or imparting snap and bite to the more discursive pieces, and his crackling energy animates the entire recording. It is Canniere, though – bright, spearing one minute, meditative and self-communing the next, who constantly draws the ear throughout this consistently absorbing and well-balanced set of fresh, bright originals, and dates on the band’s forthcoming UK tour (HERE) should be well worth catching.