Portico Quartet, “Trajectory”
Album: Memory Streams 2019 (Gondwana Records, 2020)
When I saw a BBC piece a year or two ago that listed Miles Davis’ Sketches of Spain as an ambient masterpiece, my mind was blown — I’d just never consciously considered the connection between ambient music and jazz before, despite it being quite direct in much of the output of the ECM label. Now that I’m more cognizant of the link, I’m enjoying some recent discoveries, including the brilliant Trio Ramberget and now the Portico Quartet. Whereas the former’s music feels fragile and evanescent, the latter’s “Trajectory” is more driving and frenetic, evoking Steve Reich more than Brian Eno. Meditative textures play a role, but this 10-minute instrumental’s trajectory is mostly defined by hypnotic repetition and propulsive jazz drumming.
Fabio Orsi, “CD 1”
Album: Vibra (2020)
There are certain frequencies in music — and drone music in particular — that resonate in my brain in such a way that they induce instant euphoria and ecstasy. I can only assume there’s something going on physiologically, and I’m sure there are articles and books that could explain this is in more depth. The point, though, is that Italian drone artist Fabio Orsi hits the sweet spot with “CD 1,” a 12-minute, Eno-esque soundscape of mesmerizing drone. The heart of the piece is its repetitive underlying drone, but Orsi weaves in shimmering melodies and sounds throughout, offering multiple rhythmic, textural and melodic threads for the ear to follow. Where much ambient music floats in an amorphous rhythmic space, “CD 1” moves forward in a clear 4/4 path, underpinned by drone and propelled by all that Orsi adds to it.
Seán Mac Erlaine, “The Diplomat III” and “Horse-Drawn Thoughts”
Album: Music for Empty Ears (Ergodos, 2018)
Irish musician and composer Seán Mac Erlaine is another example of the confluence of jazz and ambient, having studied jazz performance. “The Diplomat III” is more cinematic ambient and drone than jazz, however, with layered, breathy clarinet melodies — alternatingly fractured and sustained — and a menacing electronic undertow. On “Horse-Drawn Thoughts,” the jazz connection becomes clearer with a resonant, ethereal melody in what feels like a deconstructed ballad for a world that has lost its way.