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Jazz from another planet

A plugged-in Australian trio makes its Prague debut

By Darrell Jonsson
For The Prague Post
April 4th, 2007 issue

COURTESY PHOTO
Reality is relative when the Aussies put an electronic burnish on classic jazz riffs.
“I need to hear passion and humanity in the music, and Triosk has plenty of that,” Tony Morley of the Leaf Label tells The Prague Post. Since Morley’s UK label first released Triosk’s debut 2004 CD, Moment Returns, the Australian trio has been providing fresh musical excitement for lovers of both jazz and electronica. With a sound that draws from the best of ambient and cool jazz influences, propelled by edgy, post-rock melodic swells, it is easy to hear why Triosk has quickly gained a strong international following.
Between the sublime rhythms and motifs of Triosk’s music there is a vast space. Not the dreary space of electronic pulses pounded and spliced to death, but space scintillating with life.
Part of the secret to the band’s sound may well be in its down-under origins. Discussing the group’s home during an e-mail café break while on tour in Japan, Triosk keyboardist Adrian Klumpes says, “The sparseness of the Australian environment affects most people from Australia, whether they know it or not. Having space around me has affected how I artistically breathe. Being here in Tokyo for a few days has made me realize that even a city as sophisticated as Sydney is quite relaxed, even sleepy, compared with other major towns. I think my music would become quite frantic if I continued here in Japan.”
Triosk

When: Tuesday, April 10, at 7:30
Where: Palác Akropolis
Tickets: 200 Kč in advance through Ticketpro and at the venue, 250 Kč day of show

The band’s off-the-beaten-track home also provides a unique musical point of view. “I think it naturally comes that I must strive to have a point of difference artistically to be noticed,” Klumpes says. “I think this is the case for many Australians. With that goal, a range of influences can inspire me to work hard to achieve, both in a musical and a career-oriented way. Then I can chill out with a cold beer at the beach.”
Similar to Klumpes’ preferred method of recuperation, the chilled effervescence of Triosk’s music is a bit like a cold drink on a hot beach. The beach, though, may well be on another planet. Listening to Triosk’s 2006 CD The Headlight Serenade, there is something very sci-fi to it all. It’s as if, during a relaxed yet poignant moment, the serendipity of audio glitch is bathed in bittersweet memories of a jazzy planet earth.
Asking Klumpes about these and Triosk’s other infectious moods elicits this reply: “Well, mostly I believe that our music is abstract enough to give a different mood or reaction for different people at different times. There is a degree of escapism in our music, though; the moods and styles will take you away from your present head space, differing with every listener’s perceived reality.”
Back on earth, the heart of Triosk’s sound belies its origins as a modern jazz trio. It might seem like a jazz trio that’s decided to dance the electronic light fantastic, but Klumpes cites some traditional influences: “Bill Evans’ trios have inspired us a lot, as has the whole career of Miles Davis, even free jazz, spontaneous improv and European jazz too.”
Triosk’s premier Prague performance at Akropolis offers concertgoers the opportunity to hear some distinct current musical vistas. Whether you’re a fan of Bill Evans or Brian Eno, you’re likely leave the concert hall with the answer to a question recently asked by The Observer’s music critic, Stuart Nicholson: “Where is the music, then, that reflects the fact that we are living in an age in which the average mobile phone utilizes more digital technology than the spacecraft that put the first man on the moon?”
Take a ride with Triosk and find out.

Darrell Jonsson can be reached at features@praguepost.com


Other articles in Night & Day (4/04/2007):

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