|
In Fading Light is a jazz inspired album with the unusual combination of piano, oud and trumpet. The Greek pianist, composer, improviser and band leader Tania Giannouli plays the main role here, with Andreas Polyzogopoulos’ trumpet and Kyriakos Tapakis’ oud adding important nuances to the instrumental experience as a whole. The album was recorded in 2020, which of course has been a unusual year worldwide. Giannouli says, “Despite what’s happening to our world at present, people need music. They need art. It is not a luxury. It’s essential for our psychology, for maintaining health and balance – mentality, physically, emotionally, spiritually, and even politically.”
As an all instrumental album, In Fading Light successfully gives the listener freedom to explore and choose their own path. The album offer relaxation and harmony but also has parts of rapid change, as well as hypnotic and unique combinations of sounds. The listener may find a sound for every emotion, so it is easy to see why Giannouli’s music has been used in films on more than one occasion.
The first track “Labyrinth” starts as a nice, calming introduction to the album, which further into the melody surprises with a mysterious, Oriental vibe created by the oud and the trumpet. Both “Night Flight” and “No Corner” give a harmonious experience created by the instruments distinctive interplay. “Night Flight,” with the strong presence of the oud, seems to be telling a story, while “No Corner” has a beautiful and magical feel to it.
“Bela’s Dance” is a strong piece with a lot of rapid changes and drama, that ends with a conversation between the trumpet and the piano.
The most serious piece on the album is “Moth.” With its melancholy mood, slow pacing and lower tones, it takes the listener to dark places.
The final track is a little disappointing, and one might question why this brief coda was used as the title of the album among so many other impressive and memorable tracks. On the whole, though, this album is innovative in its collaborations of instruments, and shares a wide range of melodies with the listener. There are surely interesting sounds still to come from this trio. - Maria Ezzitouni
The trio have concerts booked at "Jazzahead Festival" in Germany and at the prestigious new music festival "November Music 2021" in the Netherlands.
Find the artist online
Further reading:
Katerina Papadopoulou & Anastatica
Vassilis Philippou
Greek Music in Southern Italy
|
