punkt 3, Ordnung herrscht

As we crawl into the future willy nilly we who have been here awhile and who tend to reflect on things may indeed wonder how it is we have come to this pass. Meanwhile music may have less mass impact than it has in some years, unless you consider Lady Gaga's SuperBowl appearance something of paradigmatic merit. I don't.

And yet good and great music flourishes more or less underground. An example of that is today's album by punkt 3, Ordnung herrscht (Clean Feed 384). It is a Swiss trio from what I gather, devoted to an advanced acoustic avant jazz-rock made electric solely by Noah Punkt's fine electric bass playing (and compositions), made thick and most cohesive with the addition of Tobias Pfister's alto sax and Ramon Oliveras' drums.

This is music with a fleshing out of prominent composed frameworks, rhythmic-riffed bass and drum foundations or trio-wide, or sax and drums, unfolding routines that ground the sax melodics and thoughtful solo flights.

What perhaps is most striking is the unit's consistent and very musical unity. There is an element of freedom but also a good deal of thinking and preparation that went into this music, part conception that somehow makes this seem more than a trio, but it is because everything manages to mutually reinforce each the other.

It is decidedly different, an avant trio that has integrated itself into a totality that has newness deep within but does not advertise it as much as embody it.

I find it a very intriguing listen, musically significant and utterly selfless in its determination to sound. It is very likable and so very recommended.