Threnody

Threnody is the unmissable force from three prominent improvising musicians: Martin Küchen (saxophone), Johan Bertling (bass), and Steve Noble (drums). Previously established as a trio formation under their full names, the trio has released their first album Threnody, At The Gates on Trost in 2017 (TROST 156CD/LP) and now call themselves Threnody. Personnel: Johan Berthling - double bass; Martin Küchen - retardophone, sopranino-, alto-, and tenor saxophone; Steve Noble - drums. Recording by Daniel Bengtsson at Studio Rymden Stockholm in January 2018. Mixed by Andreas Werliin. Mastering by Martin Siewert.

"The album shows the trio in an explosive, highly rhythmic mode. The tight, massive rhythm section of Berthling and Noble keeps spiraling around Küchen imaginative attacks, never letting the heated tension to subside even for a second. The second and longest piece, is a brilliant highly intuitive improvisation, shifting fast between dynamics, from loose, free-associative ones, stressing the distinct vocabularies of all three musicians, to faster, muscular ones. All with deep intensity and great focus on the details. Surprisingly, this intensity still lets Küchen articulate a strong, clear theme even within the segments where he investigates his horn's timbral distortion." - Free Jazz Blog