The Most Beautiful Sounds Next to Silence

The perennial sideman, German pianist and keyboard player Rainer Brüninghaus’s discography as leader is remarkably slim, thus making this re-issue of his leadership debut for ECM, as part of the imprint’s Luminessence series all the more welcome.

Having established his reputation with Eberhard Weber’s band Colours and then with Jan Garbarek with whom Brüninghaus has been touring with since 1988, the pianist would cement his stature by playing on some of the finest recordings by both musicians, perhaps to the detriment to his own solo career.

There seems to be a dual side to Brüninghaus’s approach to the keyboard, playing both acoustic and electronic instruments and using both differently to achieve a single musical goal. Steeped in classical music as well as jazz, the classical side came first in his studies and this may explain the grandeur of his playing on piano and his use of the synthesizer to create his own orchestra to accompany his solos, and fill out his compositions with often minimalist frameworks and motifs.

Another aspect is his use of the synthesizer to create just what he needs for his compositions to work, saying that “I’ll often work on a sound for hours until I am convinced that all irritating elements have been expelled from it and that it really gels with the underlying musical idea I have in mind. I don’t enjoy one-dimensional sounds — they have to be composite, complex sounds that add up to a harmonious whole. The more complex the technical means available became, the more interesting electronics became for me.”

If this appears contradictory to his piano playing which has long flowing, complex and melodic written parts in addition to improvised solos, this creative use of available technology is utilised in a manner that is very different from many of his contemporaries, eschewing the virtuoso approach to embrace the textural and timbral sounds that can be created.

Melodic fragments played on the synthesizer will come and go, the use of ostinato can frame and set up piano excursions or even complex accompanying passages supporting other musicians, and that is very much evident throughout Freigeweht.

The other main protagonist in maintaining the melodic flow of the album is Kenny Wheeler who plays flugelhorn throughout and his soft and warm sound on the open horn fit perfectly with both the leader’s piano and synthesizer, and the two bounce musical ideas and motifs off each other to marvellous effect.

Do not think, however that the music is an altogether gentle affair, as the presence of Jon Christensen on drums keeps the rhythms in a constant state of flux, brilliantly varying the dynamics and switching from rhythmic propulsion to subtle commentary. Christensen’s innate ability to read just what any given composition requires to lift it to the next level is a gift that Brüninghaus is happy to make the most of, and the drummer’s contribution to ‘Radspuren’ and ‘Stufen’ is key.

It therefore comes as no surprise to learn that the one track that lacks focus and any clear sense of direction is ‘Täuschung der Luft’ where the drummer sits out. The keyboards sound rather drab and lacking in Brüninghaus’s usual feel for colouring the music.

Normal service is resumed for the closing title track with the synthesizer ostinato that introduces the piece and given that solid rhythmic foundation by Jon Christensen that has kept the music buoyant.

It is these moments when Brüninghaus is able to deploy the synthesizer to create his own orchestra, and it should be noted that there was no use of sequencers or computers and that all the keyboard parts were played manually and in real time, that Kenny Wheeler is able to add his lyrical flugelhorn lines to the music, and the leader’s own exquisite solos on acoustic piano burst forth that remind us just what a fine all round musician Brüninghaus is.

(https://jazzviews.net)

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