There is something ancestral and mysterious in this album, despite its simple and straightforward appearance. A secret quality that makes it special, intelligible to many, even to those who do not follow jazz. A record that makes you slow down, listen, reflect. And even for those of us who have a visceral love for jazz, it remains a mystery how an album of just piano & bass can be so powerful. In truth, one of my favorite albums of all time is Barron and Haden’s Night and the City, so in my specific case there is a precedent; and indeed Duo, the first album of Daniel Karlsson (piano) and Thomas Markusson (double bass), has a similar feel to it: soft and intimate, often introspective, albeit less nocturnal. It too is likely to become a classic.
This album has the quality of those things that hide complex architectures within their simplicity, just as a single continuous line by an accomplished cartoonist can relate the same amount of detail as an entire painting.
There are pauses in the playing, omissions from both the piano and the double bass, that fill the emotion of the unsaid; and little notes, almost tiny, that are equal to symphonies. And naturally there's a lot of jazz – from the sixties (not only Evans but also musicians less known in Italy, like the duo Jan Johansson and Georg Riedel) and, of course, the Nordic new jazz that counts Karlsson as one of its innovators. But there are also echoes and references to something else – almost allusions: to classical, folk and pop, perceptible to the more refined ear.
The compositions (full of improvisation) belong to both, and a balance and a rare exchange in roles generally prevails, with Markusson often engaged in melody and not just rhythm, and Karlsson always giving thickness and cadence to his famous left hand. It is difficult to make a choice among the tracks; perhaps the ones that stand out the most are "AB", "Bullerö", "Psalmen" and "Röblues" with its extended, very enjoyable bass solo before Karlsson’s sweet attack comes in.
In short, another pearl by Brus & Knaster, which confirms Göran Petersson’s nose. I have written a lot about Daniel Karlsson (last time here), but on the newly discovered talent of Thomas Markusson I will have more to tell.
“Duo”, Brus & Knaster, 2014
- A B
- Andra i Sjunde
- Minority
- Bullerö
- Popsnöret
- Psalmen
- Röblues
- Psaltaren
- Öjersjö
- Sweet Nile
- Valsen
Daniel Karlsson: piano
Thomas Markusson: double bass