River Silver

River Silver

Matthieu Michel: flugelhorn; Mieko Miyazaki: koto; Eivind Aarset: guitar and electronics; Michel Benita: double bass; Philippe Garcia: drums

After two exemplary ECM discs in the company of Andy Sheppard, Michel Benita has an album with his own group. The Ethics band is international, and the Algiers-born bassist leads a line-up comprised of a flugelhornist from Fribourg, Switzerland, a koto player from Tokyo, a guitarist from Drobak, Norway, and a French drummer who once lived in Turkey as a member of the Istanbul Symphony.

The groups music, correspondingly, flows - like the glistening river of the title - beyond borders. Alongside his own compositions and a piece by Mieko Miyazaki, Benita includes a tune from Northumbrian UK piper Kathryn Tickell and one from Norwegian composer and organist Eyvind AlnÃ¦s (1872-1932).

A strongly lyrical tendency prevails, Mathieu Michels graceful flugelhorn foregrounded, with koto, bass and drums interacting creatively at the bands core.

Colors of folk and colors of jazz are blended in Michel Benitas writing, multi-idiomatic in a very natural way. Eivind Aarsets guitars and what Benita calls organic electronics gently envelop the music. The whole sound-picture is finely-realized in the responsive acoustics of the Auditorio Stelio Molo RSI, Lugano, where River Silver was recorded in April 2015, with Manfred Eicher producing. The album is issued in time for a European tour in January with concerts in France, Germany, Austria, Switzerland and Belgium.

Recorded April 10-12, 2015 at Auditorio Stelio Molo RSI, Lugano
Recording Engineer: Stefano Amerio
DDD
Producer: Manfred Eicher
Country USA
Brand ECM
Manufacturer ECM
Binding Audio CD
ItemPartNumber 17706255
Model 35217904
ReleaseDate 2016-02-12
UnitCount 1
UPCs 602547593931
EANs 0602547593931

Country	USA
Brand	ECM
Manufacturer	ECM
Binding	Audio CD
ItemPartNumber	17706255
Model	35217904
ReleaseDate	2016-02-12
UnitCount	1
UPCs	602547593931
EANs	0602547593931

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