Swiss pianist, composer and bandleader Nik Bärtsch marks 20 years of weekly performances at his Monday club nights with the release of his 9th album SPIN with his band Ronin.
Ronin specialise in building up layers of rhythm, melody, and texture into a driving, hypnotic sonic mesh. A bit like a cross between The Necks and Jeff Mills. It’s a sound that Nik Bärtsch likes to call Zen Funk. It might be considered an acquired taste but there are clear ways in for fans of not just jazz but minimalist music and techno. Bärtsch also takes his track titling from the contemporary classical world. No “Round Midnight” or “A Flower Is A Lovesome Thing” for Nik. Each piece is a “Modul”.
Recorded live, SPIN combines new pieces, Modul 63 and Modul 66 with older material, Modul 70_51, Modul 14 and Modul 23. If this all sounds a bit cold well luckily Ronin also groove like mad and what could sound like maths homework is actually captivating, at times quite soulful and uplifting.
Bärtsch is joined by long-time Ronin associates Sha on bass clarinet and alto saxophone, Kaspar Rast on drums alongside new bass player Jeremias Keller.
Once you’ve listened to SPIN you can watch a One Jazz video exclusive for the piece Modul 45 from a forthcoming documentary film on Bärtsch called Ingredients For Disaster.
SPIN is our Album Of The Week on One Jazz w/c Monday 2nd December.