I’m always intrigued when there are little extras in CD packaging. Circularity I reviewed yesterday came with stickers. Revolution has a 12-panel fold out poster with a big R complete with a tasteful drop shadow and splodges of paint on one side; and a picture of the band on the other. So full marks for presentation, the slip cover in a tasteful complementary shade of light green completing the effect. As for the music the ‘little extras’ are the fed-in voice effects, distortion and feedback that enhance the sound of pianist Stefan Rusconi, double bassist Fabian Gisler, and drummer Claudio Strüby.
Rusconi have been around for ages and this record came out two years ago but is now getting UK distribution. Emerging now for a new territory it’s also a marketing spear-carrier for the release of brand new album History Sugar Dream released in the band’s native Switzerland on 21 March and in this country next month, and which I’ll review soon.
As regular readers of Marlbank well know jazz piano trios come in all shapes and forms even within Switzerland and this one is where EST left off and where the Neil Cowley trio picked up the baton. How Rusconi differ is the squally tech-driven serrated edge and prog-jazz touches. Power chords, poppy hooks, and some pretty good tunes they’re all effortlessly moody and quite compelling at times. Improvisation though is carefully controlled with most of the material band-written all extensively revved-up plus a few Sonic Youth covers done live. Henry Cow legend Fred Frith guests on the exhilarating ‘Alice in the Sky.’ SG