John Lindberg Two By Five - BTL10189 - Jazz - par Between The Lines

John Lindberg was never one to appreciate the placid waters of prettily coloured mainstream music: ever since the beginning of his career, which spans more than two decades, the virtuoso bass player has been at the centre of musical developments. The big names of the avant-garde dominate his biography: from Joe Bowie to Anthony Braxton and Albert Mangelsdorff. They represented creative music in regions which were constantly being newly discovered, music to which Lindberg made an essential contribution. He was one of the founders of the String Trio Of New York – the ensemble with James Emery (guitar) and a changing line-up has been in existence since 1981- which provided the bassist with a sphere for experimentation with interaction in a chamber music setting. This trio, which was greatly acclaimed by the critics, was not the only context in which Lindberg excelled as a sideman or leader in different line-ups and with uncommon compositions. Two By Five features two longer compositions structured around several themes and episodes in an original musical context. With his masterly performance on the bass, Lindberg leads the Ann Arbor String Quartet in an adventure in sound that cannot be assigned to any one level of style. Tension builds up as sharp-edged melodies and rhythms give a jazz touch to classic avant-garde excursions before the imaginative navigator heads for islands of lyrical calm.