Awase

Swiss pianist and composer Nik Bärtsch is synonymous with everything ECM stands for: careful control of atmosphere, meticulous attention to sound and space, and an underlying capitulation to the moment. Alongside Sha (bass clarinet and alto saxophone), Kaspar Rast (drums), and Thomy Jordi (bass), Bärtsch unravels some of the finest details of his “modular” approach. Offering an uncompromising ritual groove aesthetic on the altar of funk, he takes us through changes as seamless as they are surprising, linking every shift in angle to the same body. Like an Escher print, the more you regard it, the more variation it reveals.