The year in piano trios
Noteworthy jazz albums featuring the format are plentiful in 2024

Surveying the year in jazz so far, one theme stands out: Piano trios are everywhere. I’ve heard more than a dozen noteworthy new records featuring the piano-bass-drums format in 2024, and I ran down some of my favorites in a new Critic’s Notebook piece for the Times — gift link here.

Albums under discussion, with Bandcamp links where applicable, include:

-Tyshawn Sorey Trio, The Susceptible Now (w/ Aaron Diehl, Harish Raghavan)
-Kim Cass, Levs (w/ Matt Mitchell, Sorey)
-Kris Davis Trio, Run the Gauntlet (w/ Robert Hurst, Johnathan Blake)
-Tarbaby, You Think This America (Orrin Evans, Eric Revis, Nasheet Waits)
-Bill Charlap Trio, And Then Again (Peter Washington, Kenny Washington)
-Matthew Shipp Trio, New Concepts in Piano Trio Jazz (Michael Bisio, Newman Taylor Baker)
-Vijay Iyer, Compassion (w/ Linda May Han Oh, Sorey)
-Marta Sanchez Trio, Perpetual Void (w/ Chris Tordini, Savannah Harris)
-Matt Mitchell, Zealous Angles (w/ Tordini, Dan Weiss)

Space constraints prevented me from going deeper on the following, but I’ve been digging all these as well:

-Ethan Iverson, Technically Acceptable (w/ Thomas Morgan, Kush Abadey, plus Simón Willson and Vinnie Sperrazza). No one writes like Iverson, and the droll charm of his compositional style is on full display here. (Rounding out the trio material on this disc is Iverson’s first piano sonata, which my friend Seth Colter Walls highlighted back in January.)

-Luther Allison, I Owe It All to You (w/ Boris Kozlov, Zach Adleman). An irresistably warm and swinging debut from the Charlotte-born pianist, who has worked with Samara Joy.

-John Zorn, Ballades (w/ Brian Marsella, Jorge Roeder and Ches Smith). The third in a series of Tzadik albums featuring this lineup playing pieces by Zorn. To my ear, a seamless hybrid of jazz and classical approaches. No other album cited here sounds anything like this one — a must-hear.

-Nduduzo Makhathini, uNomkhubulwane (w/ Zwelakhe-Duma Bell le Pere, Francisco Mela). Three expansive suites, offering a satisfying balance of churning intensity and uplifting melody.

The line had to be drawn somewhere, but let it be known that there’s also a new George Cables trio disc out next month! (I Hear Echoes, with Essiet Essiet and Jerome Jennings.)

As I mention in the piece, beyond the enjoyment to be found in each of these, what’s exciting to me is the sheer variety. There’s really no baseline sound for the modern piano trio — I hear value and potential in all these paths. Hope you find something to dig here, and if I’ve missed any 2024 piano-trio efforts, please let me know!

https://darkforcesswing.substack.com/p/the-year-in-piano-trios?utm_source=post-email-title&publication_id=2335611&post_id=150930992&utm_campaign=email-post-title&isFreemail=true&r=13mc4&triedRedirect=true&utm_medium=email

One of the most traditional of Jazz configurations, the piano trio has followed numerous adaptations since standardizing as piano, double bass and drums sometime in the late 1950s. Modifications are still being tried though as these accomplished sets by international players attest. One is more wedded to the mainstream, while the other stretches the form without fracturing it.

Madrid native Marta Sanchez now plies her piano skill in New York where she’s also a member of David Murray’s quartet. Her associates on Perpetual Void are Americans, bassist Chris Tordini, known for his work with Andy Milne and drummer Savannah Harris, who has recorded with the likes of Peter Evans. Caught in My Own Trap’s trio is more international. Pianist Kirke Karja, who leads her own bands and also plays contemporary notated music is Estonian; bassist Étienne Renard, who has recorded with Benoît Delbecq is French; while drummer Ludwig Wandinger, who has worked with Jim Black, is German.

Although based around themes of death and insomnia, the interpretation of 11 of Sanchez’s compositions is anything but a downer. While probably closer to the expected than she probably imagined, from the beginning the performances move with swiftness and finesse. Here, the pianist’s expanded glissandi and energetic playing encompass chord substitutions and counter melodies. Her key bounces and comping are complemented by the bassist’s tandem progressions, sometimes involving careful strums, and the drummer’s rolls and pops.

At points pivoting to a more impressionistic interface, an assured change of pace is evident in the CD’s second half as Sanchez expands to a multi-fingered and more rhythmically adventurous sequences. “Black Cyclone” and “This Is The Last One About You”, the penultimate tracks are the standouts. The first is a clearly defined subtle swinger that attains intensification via passing chords as the pianist answers the bassist’s low-pitched string twangs with emphasized patterns that are almost silent movie-accompaniment-like lively. “This Is The Last One About You” maintains the mood with freer motions emphasizing different parts of the keyboard, methodical strums from the bassist plus press rolls and cymbal splashes from the drummer.

More daring in its musical evolution, the other disc isn’t as piano-centric and more of a group effort, with five of its 12 tracks, group improvisations and the other composed by Karja. “Take My Tender Heart”, the first track and first improvisation sets out the procedure. Ascending from silence to drum crunches and piano shakes, the pianist sets out the swaying exposition with reflective chording and soundboard echoes. Along the way Renard’s sul ponticello bass string squeaks turn to emphasized pumps and Wandinger adds hard percussion slaps.

This strategic interplay doesn’t vary that much on the pianist’s compositions, which are also open enough to introduce pressurized pedal point (“Sweat’), individual note emphasis at low volume (“Seiklus”) and soundboard variations which appear to move in slow motion as twanging high pitches are echoes on the lower-pitched keys. One track entitled “Double Bass Interlude” on which Renard’s unaccompanied solo that abuts multi-string buzzes and spiccato emphasis is showcased, also emphasizes group cohesion.

Considering that the pianist can easily emphasize sections of the keyboard and strings with aplomb and run through super speedy patterns and isolated single tones with the same ease shows that her keyboard command is as commanding as Sanchez’s. With both discs affiliated with a mixture of energy and ennui, each can be appreciated on its merits. The program of one may be more conventional and the other more adventurous, but that means that diverse listeners may be drawn to either one.

https://www.jazzword.com/reviews/marta-sanchez-trio/

Those accustomed to hearing pianist Alexander Hawkins in bracing free jazz sessions might not be aware of his wide-ranging musical interests and broad musical resources. On Musho, he and vocalist Sofia Jernberg perform a series of mostly traditional tunes, drawing from English, Swedish, and various African song traditions. The title is apparently an Amharic word for “sad song.” Jernberg is active in European improvising circles, and this long-running duo makes its recording debut here.

The album opens with the spacious “Adwa,” where Hawkins plays with considerable reserve. The simple chords unfold with elegance and enough variation to compel. Part of me wishes I knew other versions of this Ethiopian traditional piece (a background shared by “Gigi’s Lament” elsewhere on this disc), but I don’t feel at a loss. Jernberg has a really unique instrument, a strong soprano with real clarity and a slight reediness in her tone that’s really compelling. This is highly dynamic music, and it’s fantastic.

The range of colors each coaxes from their instrument is astonishing. At times Hawkins’ piano sounds like an mbira (as on “Gigi’s Lament”) or marimba (the Swedish traditional piece “Mannelig”), whereas elsewhere he’s dark and bluesy like Mal Waldron. As for Jernberg, she be winsome and airy or full-throated at the drop of a hat. Nothing is gratuitous, though, as her commitment to the song is the primary thing. A particularly stirring example of their range is on the haunting Armenian threnody “Groung.” Jernberg’s keening voice is distilled loneliness set against Hawkins’ somber accompaniment, and as the song proceeds a palpable sense of longing rises with her into the most gorgeous, fragile falsetto.

There is just so much color and dynamism on this record, but mostly a sheer emotional power that makes it very much stand out from the pack. There are dark clouds, thickets of metallic sound, the lightest melodic turns, and very much more. Their interactions are always assured, and expressive, and vulnerable, holding melody plain and pure or going for the growl (Jernberg, it must be said, employs split-tone singing very effectively throughout). It’s as impressive a testament to the power of the duo as I’ve heard lately, and an early contender for my best of 2024 list.

https://www.pointofdeparture.org/archives/PoD-87/PoD87MoreMoments4.html

Marta Sanchez è una pianista madrilena di stanza a New York, già attiva da un decennio come leader, attualmente anche nel quartetto di David Murray. La sua formazione accademica si respira già nell'incipit di questo bel disco, "I Don't Wanna Live the Wrong Life and Then Die" dove il tocco, la singolare divisione metrica e la saturazione armonica suggeriscono uno stile che dai barocchi si sposta ai contemporanei, senza passare per i classico romantici.

Il jazz per Marta è stata una scoperta successiva al conservatorio, la sua preparazione le ha consentito un approccio disinibito e subito esuberante verso l'improvvisazione, che l'ha resa protagonista della scena più avanzata della Grande Mela. Questo disco segna un ulteriore tappa di conquista per la pianista, solitamente dedita alla scrittura per quintetto con due sassofoni.

Il classico trio con basso e batteria è una prova rivelatrice, brillantemente superata, anche per il contributo offerto da un Chris Tordini sia potente che raffinato (al punto da ricordare in assolo Gary Peacock, ascoltare "The End of That Period") e di una Savannah Harris straordinaria sia in ruolo propulsivo che coloristico.

Il pianismo di Sanchez è molto strutturato, l'intelaiatura dei brani è rigorosamente scritta, con una mano sinistra assai attiva; si coglie la sua ammirazione per Brad Mehldau in senso melodico, ma la musica di Sanchez è meno lirica e più controllata, anche se le radici spagnole permangono in una ricerca sempre presente della cantabilità.

L'equilibrio espressivo ricercato in ogni esecuzione conduce forse a un'uniformità un po' limitante, unico neo di un disco per il resto stimolante e realizzato con grande cura. Il talento di Marta Sanchez è ormai affermato e siamo sicuri che il suo nome brillerà nel prossimo futuro.

https://www.allaboutjazz.com/perpetual-void-marta-sanchez-intakt-records

Pianist and composer Marta Sánchez follows her superb 2022 release SAAM with the equally imaginative Perpetual Void. Joined here by multifaceted bassist Christopher Tordini and intrepid drummer Savannah Harris, Sánchez crafts pieces that range from fiery and energetic to languid and introspective.

The passionate "3:30 AM" opens with collective percussive beats. Out of this insistent backdrop emerges Sánchez's breathtakingly lithe and thrilling improvisation. Tordini and Harris support the pianist and follow her, at fast tempos, down delightfully labyrinthine paths.

Harris then takes center stage with thunderous polyrhythms before a return to the dynamic head.
Meanwhile, the cinematic "I Don't Want To Live the Wrong Life and Then Die" showcases the group's sublime camaraderie. Opening with hypnotic vamps, the tune quickly takes on a lullaby-like serenity, despite its angular structure. The band members launch into individual stream-of-consciousness extemporizations that, despite their divergence, maintain a sense of synergy.

On the unaccompanied "Prelude to a Heartbreak," Sánchez demonstrates a perfect balance of unbridled virtuosity and contemplative lyricism. After a series of resonant chords, she launches into a meditative performance filled with silent pauses and chiming notes; simultaneously pastoral and abstract, it bears Debussy-esque hints and an undercurrent of melancholy.

Similarly, the wistful "The End of That Period" lacks the crystalline sharp edges and is more fluid. Together the trio builds a darkly hued ambience with yearning tones and sashaying rhythms.
The piece also highlights Tordini's superlative musicianship via a sparse and poetic solo replete with complex phrases and reverberating, shimmering lines.

With her first trio outing, Sánchez proves that she does not need a frontline or electronics to create stimulating, dynamic works. Her unique style endows the album with a thematic unity, and the vision she shares with her colleagues makes Perpetual Void uniformly captivating.

https://jazziz.com/?fbclid=PAZXh0bgNhZW0CMTEAAaYM47ZthEZFVPhRA2bjDkkddal0mpG5vOk0VEDuCaj0u24v4V6HewQ-y6Y_aem_1GBBL2Vh5YZXxgqccu5j6w

Marta Sanchez Trio: Perpetual Void
Intakt Records
Years ago Bill Evans expressed his desire to replace the standard piano trio model, whereby the bassist and drummer act as support to the pianist leader, with a more balanced one that would see each participant fully engaged as a conversational partner. While stylistically Marta Sanchez's trio might be light years removed from any of those Evans led, in that particular respect her unit with bassist Christopher Tordini and drummer Savannah Harris represents the fullest realization of her precursor's ideal. Yes, Sanchez, like Evans, remains the primary carrier of melody and the group leader, yet every moment of her trio's performances shows the music being constantly reshaped by the three. Such an approach translates into trio playing that's unpredictable, engrossing, and exciting.
A fascinating other dimension of Perpetual Void, the pianist's fifth album as a bandleader and her first fronting a trio, has to do with track titles that allude to existential and personal crises. Notes with the release clarify that the project developed during a period when Sanchez's mother died and when the pianist endured a prolonged bout of insomnia. Titles such as “3:30 AM” and “Perpetual Void” call to mind harrowing states induced by sleeplessness, while “The Absence of the People You Long For” could refer to her mother's passing. If “Prelude to a Heartbreak” and “This is the Last One About You” seem to allude to the collapse of a romantic relationship, “I Don't Wanna Live the Wrong Life and Then Die” and “Black Cyclone” refer to more general conditions of desperation and despair.
The primary argument in support of Perpetual Void has to do with the performance approach adopted by the three. The compositions, Sanchez originals all, are a varied and intricate bunch, with some urgent and bursting with energy and others thoughtful reflections delivered at a slower pace. Regardless of the differences in style, the eleven tracks are unified by an approach that finds the music in a state of constant transformation. Just as a torrential flow of ideas pours incessantly from Sanchez's fingers, the same applies to partners who are ever responsive to the material collectively emerging through their interplay. Her partners both help ground the playing and untether it through their receptivity to the music's directional flow. Were one to choose a metaphor for the trio's delivery, it would be something ever-unstable like water than something solid like concrete.
Certainly the trio format grants Sanchez a greater outlet than the quintets she's featured on earlier recordings, 2022's well-received SAAM (Spanish American Art Museum) a case in point. With more space to maneuver within, her gifts as an improviser are allowed to fully blossom and her ideas given ample opportunity to develop. The trio set-up also allows for her playing to be heard with enhanced clarity, and consequently her way of generating cross-currents and contrapuntal patterns in her right and left hands becomes fascinating to monitor. To that end, the restless intertwining of angular patterns in the knotty title track might be the prime illustration of Sanchez's pianistic attack (the performance also calls to mind the kinds of interactions Geri Allen got up to with Charlie Haden and Paul Motian in their trio albums). The inclusion of two solo piano explorations, the poetic “Prelude to Grief” and sparkling “Prelude to a Heartbreak,” allows for an even closer examination.
“I Don't Wanna Live the Wrong Life and Then Die” initiates the album with urgency and the first demonstration of the trio's fluidity. As Sanchez obsessively attacks the thematic elements, she's bolstered by the controlled fury of the others. The three plunge into tumult midway through before pulling back to exit the scene-setter with a furious trio expression. In the insomnia-driven “3:30 AM,” Sanchez couples hammering patterns in the low register with dancing fragments higher up as Tordini undergirds her nimble flight of fancy with pulsating lines and Harris generates a complementary firestorm. Countering such ferocity is “The Absence of the People You Long For,” a ballad that captures the trio's deft ability to play in a way that feels suspended and free but not groundless. While Sanchez's trio generally eschews conventional swing, “The Love Unable to Give” comes close to it in the rhythmic momentum generated by its insistent thrust. Skewed traces of funk and blues, on the other hand, surface during the freewheeling moves of “Black Cyclone.”
One could be forgiven for thinking a recording with tracks so titled must be a gloomy affair, but that's not the case, even if there are few moments on the release one would call joyful. One nonetheless comes away from the recording not depressed but instead rejuvenated, replenished, and ready to take on the challenges to come. Of all the album tracks, it's “The End of That Period” that tellingly exudes the most prono...

Asentada como una de las esenciales referencias del jazz español, la pianista y compositora madrileña Marta Sánchez lleva más de una década arrojando motivos que sustentan esa relevante disposición. Desde su inicial vertiente colaborativa hasta la actualidad, pasando por el punto de inflexión que marcó su beca Fulbright en 2011 para cursar un máster en interpretación de piano jazz en la Universidad de Nueva York, la obra de Sánchez ha venido desplegándose con consistencia, constatada en los aplaudidos cuatro álbumes a la cabeza de su quinteto: Partenika (2015), Danza Imposible (2017), El Rayo de Luz (2019) y SAAM (Spanish American Art Museum) (2022).

https://www.diariodesevilla.es/

Pero Sanchez nunca ha sido una creadora conformista. Y la necesidad de afrontar nuevos riesgos encontró en la muerte de su madre en diciembre de 2020, un doloroso pero inspirador motivo para indagar en el sentido de su vida. Años de severo insomnio generaron una angustia existencial cuyo balance creativo se concreta ahora en el explícito Perpetual Void (2024), su quinto álbum como líder, primero a la cabeza de su trío y debut en el reputado sello suizo Intakt. El trabajo invita a sumergirse en el brillante pianismo de Sánchez como nunca lo habíamos podido hacer antes. Desconectada del habitual quinteto que resaltaba sus sobresalientes vertientes como compositora y arreglista, este acoplado trío junto a Chris Tordini (contrabajo) y Savannah Harris (batería) destapa un catálogo de formas entre las que figuran su segura relación con contrapunto y polirrítmia así como una ensamblada combinación de técnica e inventiva, canalizada a través de un discurso oblicuo, deconstructor, penetrante y siempre imprevisible. Títulos como The Absence of the People You Long For, I Don´t Want to Live the Wrong Life and Then Die o 3:30 AM (la hora de la madrugada en la que su desvelo se manifestaba con más crudeza) formulan sin tapujos una situación emocional canalizada a través de once composiciones propias que trocan duelo por superación de la mano de un trabajo inspirado y sin fisuras.
Dos meses después de grabar Perpetual Void los días 8 y 9 de septiembre de 2023, Marta Sánchez regresó al estudio de grabación para asumir otro reto: ceder su rol protagonista y convertirse en miembro de pleno derecho del cuarteto del coloso David Murray, recordemos, uno de los más decisivos saxofonistas y clarinetistas del último medio siglo. Dedicado a su esposa y registrado también para Intakt, Francesca (2024) suscribe la enésima evidencia del formidable y sincrético poderío compositor e interpretativo de Murray. La integración de Marta Sánchez en un cuarteto del que también forman parte el contrabajo del activo Luke Stewart (miembro de Silt Trio, Blacks’ Myths o los más que recomendables Irreversible Entanglements) y la batería de Russell Carter es absoluta, guiada por una partitura que reafirma sin erosión alguna su magistral capacidad para saltar del torrencial ataque –Come and Go lo ejemplifica– a la cercana caricia, tanto en el saxo tenor como en un clarinete bajo que goza de protagonismo en capítulos como el delicioso Shenzhen. Siete composiciones del líder y una brillante adaptación, también al clarinete bajo, de Richard’s Tune –el homenaje de otro gigante, ya desaparecido, Don Pullen, al fundador de la AACM, Muhal Richard Abrams–, enmarcan una secuencia en la que Sanchez expone su facultad para generar espacios disruptivos pero también para expresarse sobre progresiones armónicas al uso. Por no hablar del tándem Stewart & Carter, cuya lúcida labor se antoja primordial en una propuesta tan dinámica como la que ofrece un Francesca en el que vuelve a significarse por enésima vez la importancia que la familia tiene para Murray, constatada tanto en el título de este, de nuevo, magnífico álbum como en el brindis a su hijo en Free Mingus.

https://www.diariodesevilla.es/ocio/doble-riesgo_0_2000439390.html

Perpetual Void Review by Christian Genzel
A quick glance at the song titles confirms that Perpetual Void is dealing with existential questions: "I Don't Wanna Live the Wrong Life and Then Die," "Prelude to Grief," "The Absence of the People You Long For." But while the record deals with serious themes of life and death, it isn't as heavy or haunting as the subject matter implies -- instead, it captures a journey that's ultimately hopeful and cathartic. Perpetual Void is pianist Marta Sánchez's fifth record as a leader, and the compositions were prompted by the loss of her mother, her struggles to deal with the anxiety, and her frequent bouts of insomnia. Fittingly, she opts for a more intimate setting than on her previous quintet albums, recording the material with a trio instead, whose congenial communication perfectly embeds Sánchez's explorations. Accompanied on most tracks by in-demand bassist Chris Tordini and relative newcomer Savannah Harris on drums, the pianist even includes two solo pieces to tackle the complex emotions she's processing.
The album starts with the most dramatic material: the opening "I Don't Wanna Live the Wrong Life and Then Die" is an agitated piece that develops into a frenzy, followed by the insomnia-inspired "3:30 AM," where the choppy rhythm and staccato piano motif suggest the mind which is simply unable to rest -- up to the point where the nervous drum solo feels like the pianist is simply too exhausted to keep going. But the record then takes a left turn, becoming more introspective with the brief solo piano piece "Prelude to Grief" and the calmer "The Absence of the People You Long For." There's a searching quality to the pieces that follow, especially the probing "Perpetual Void," and Sánchez seems to reach a state of acceptance with "The End of That Period" and the surprisingly playful "The Love Unable to Give." Even while she's moving into brighter, steadier territory, the pieces never lose their underlying sense of anxiety -- but at the end, with the defiant "This Is the Last One About You" and the more delicate final track "29B," it seems that she's embraced the unrest instead of fighting it.

https://www.allmusic.com/album/perpetual-void-mw0004270789#moodsThemes

Einen Namen hat sich Marta Sánchez in den letzten Jahren mit ihrem Quintett und dessen vier Alben gemacht. Die New York Times nannte das Ensemble „eine der durchweg überzeugendsten Bands des zeitgenössischen Jazz". Zudem ist die Pianistin Teil Ides David Murray Quartets, das fast zeitgleich zu dieser Platte mit dem inspirierten neuen Album „Francesca", ebenfalls bei Intakt Records, aufwartet. Doch egal in welchem Kontext Sánchez ihr Klavierspiel kundtut, ihr einzigartiger musikalischer Dialekt, der von vertrackten Linien mit leichtem Hang zur Dissonanz gezeichnet ist, bleibt stets erhalten und injiziert die Musik mit einer besonderen Fär-bung. Häufig greifen ihre Hände, einem „Interlocking"-Effekt ähnlich, ineinander über, sodass kontrapunktische Linien, zugleich fein und ungeniert, sich organisch aus ihrem Instrument herauskristallisieren und der Begleitung eine gewisse Reibung vorwegnehmen. Ihre Trio-Kollegen, Chris Tordini am Bass und Savannah Harris am Schlagzeug, nutzen diesen Informationsreichtum aus, um mit entgegengesetzten Betonungen den Rahmen ausschweifend zu gestalten. Ungerade Takte und polyrhythmische Wendungen gehören hier zum Fundament und treiben das sich dynamisch im Crescendo erhebende Trio-Inter-play aus der Faktur der Musik heraus an. Besondere Erwähnung verdient das leichtfüßige Kontrabassspiel Tordinis, das in jedem Kontext seinen Stempel aufzudrücken weiß, ohne die zugrundeliegende Form und den Gestaltungprozess im Kollektiv zu überschatten. Bereits auf dem letztjährigen, ebenfalls bei Intakt erschienenen Triounterfangen von Saxophonist Chris Speed, „Despite Obstacles", war die besondere

Fingerfertigkeit des Bassisten von auffallender Qualität. Man höre sich hier die rhythmisch heftig aufwirbelnden Nummern wie „Black Cyclone" oder „This Is The Last One About You" an, um das umtriebige und gekonnt explosive Zusammenspiel von Tordini und der rasanten Schlagzeugfertigkeit Savannah Harris' zu bewundern. Sie beide brillieren hier genau wie die Bandleaderin und verleihen „Per-petual Void" - ganz im Gegensatz zur ewigen Leere, auf die der Albumtitel anspielt - eine Fülle an Raffinesse.

http://www.concerto.at/

Pianist Marta Sánchez’s style is hard to pin
down. Her music has an abstract wanderlust,
but it’s tempered by sharp focus and great dis
cipline that manifests in everything from com
positional structure to individual note choices.
Almost every one of her albums has featured
different personnel than its predecessor, allow
ing her to showcase herself in a variety of con
texts. This is her first trio recording since her
debut, 2008’s Lunas, Soles & Elefantes, and it
introduces a new rhythm section: bassist Chris
Tordini and drummer Savannah Harris.
The music on Perpetual Void was written
during a period of great personal trauma, grief
and loss for Sánchez, but one would be hard
pressed to take that away from the album merely
by listening with one’s eyes closed. Tracks have
titles like “I Don’t Wanna Live The Wrong Life
And Then Die,” “The Absence Of The People
You Long For,” “The Love Unable To Give” and
“This Is The Last One About You,” so over
wrought they could have come off a Lana Del
Rey album, but the actual performances leap
with life. Sánchez’s melodies spin out like they
were composed for a player piano, though her actual playing infuses them with an unmistak
able humanity. Tordini is a second lead voice,
attacking the bass with the grip strength of an
Olympic wrestler, and Harris’s drumming has
a declarative crispness even at quiet moments.
If this thrilling and inspiring album is indeed
about grief, it sounds like someone powering
through it, not wallowing in it.