Seeing

Seeing opens with ‘Jesus, gjør meg stille’ or ‘Jesus, make me quiet’. Perhaps Gustavsen is not as calm inside as his music would suggest. This piece features bowed bass, tentative keys, and dancing cymbals, although the combined level starts low, so it builds with stealth up to a muted peak. The trio manage to use tone and touch so beautifully that the listener is soon entranced; many have imitated this sound, but few, if any, can get close to it. ‘The Old Church’ is genuinely serene, as is much of this album; the gentle piano has a shine that radiates 360 degrees on a good system while the bass adds body to the sound. 

As with other Gustavsen recordings, the sound is superb, but I have rarely heard imaging of this quality anywhere else. The piano is three-dimensional in the room; all you need is a decent system to reveal it. Gérard de Haro recorded the album at Studios La Buissonne near Avignon in France, a long way from the fjords, yet it retains the super silent backgrounds and richness of timbre found in earlier works.

The title track is a solo piece that’s quiet and reflective; Gustavsen is not a groovemaker. He’s a spiritual explorer, a Hildegard von Bingen for our time. Bach provides the basis for the very fine ‘Christ lag in Todesbanden’; the composer has long been an inspiration for jazz pianists, but few have achieved the tension and release, the ebb and flow of this piece. The band use dynamics and timing to create a restrained drama of considerable potency. The second piece by Bach, ‘Auf meinen lieben Gott’ is a standout whose scale and bass line rhythm mark a distinct contrast with the preceding tunes. It’s a bigger boned piece that vibrates with energy from the trio, releasing the quieter numbers’ unspoken tension.

‘Extended Circle’ sees the electronics make a more prominent entry that adds depth to the soundstage which is elaborated with brushed snare, cymbals and a precise tempo around the piano’s clear, unhurried voice. ‘Piano Interlude – Meditation’ is exactly as described, albeit much of Gustavsen’s playing is meditative; removing the drums and bass enhances the purity. ‘Nearer My God, to Thee’ is as spiritual as the title would suggest; gentle cymbals widen the soundstage, and the level slowly builds to a head with a giant gong, but it never loses composure.

The album ends with ‘Seattle Song’. It seems to be the result of jamming during a soundcheck. The drummer and bassist picked up a simple idea and developed it into as close to a blues tune as you will find on a Gustavsen release.

All this pianist’s albums radiate beauty and truth, but Seeing is up there with the very best of them. It is a balm for the most restless souls and a path to transcendence for all.

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