The alchemy of top-flight groups seen at close quarters really is a miraculous thing. I recently had the pleasure of interviewing John Patitucci, and he talked about his memories of more than two decades with the Wayne Shorter quartet, and of the wonders, the “spirit falls” that can happen on stage “when people are really knitted together.”
Lars Danielsson’s Liberetto Quartet has that too. It is now a decade since the newest member, Martinique-born pianist Gregory Privat, joined the group, and the others had already been working happily together on Danielsson’s wonderful compositions, imbued with what the late great John Kelman called their ‘elegant lyricism’ and their ‘unerring groove’, for at least five years before that.
That alchemy shows itself in the incredibly liquid sense of motion and flow which the four create with these pieces. Lars Danielsson once told me that “I think of my compositions as songs,” and that “if it sounds natural then it doesn’t really matter what meter it’s in.” Those ideas that have helped me to understand what the great Swedish bassist’s music is about.
The strongest memory that will stay with me from last night is the tune “Africa”. It’s not a new piece, it’s from the group’s second album. The insouciance and the joy of the performance of that tune last night were astonishing. Maybe the main cause of that is drummer Magnus Öström. Yes, he definitely has the capacity to lay down the heaviest of stadium rock grooves if he wants to. But what he does in this context is the opposite: to give a sense of weightlessness, every sound fresh and exciting, and making one want to listen in and hear every detail.
John Parricelli also has an improbable range from hushed mystery to full-on melodic intent, and Gregory Privat does unbelievable intensity builds in the course of solos, but also disappears into the texture beautifully. But above all it is about what they achieve together. Danielsson’s compositions are shaped in such a way that at any moment a fresh new chapter is beginning or about to begin.
This is an absolutely world-class band, with a constant freshness and a lively spirit which makes them worth hearing every time one can.
LIBERETTO
Lars Danielsson / double bass, cello
Grégory Privat / piano
John Parricelli / guitars
Magnus Öström / drums & percussion
SET LIST
Extension
Nikitas Dream
The Fifth Grade
Sacred Mind
Lviv
Passacaglia
Africa
Bass solo over ‘Both Sides Now’ (Joni Mitchell)
Cloudland
Desert of Catanga
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Encore: Blå Ängar (blue fields)
All compositions by Lars Danielsson except where stated
