feature photo: Christian Senti
Nik Bärtsch has created his own sub-genre within the wide jazz umbrella, one that combines funk, jazz, minimalism, post rock and classical. Writing compositions that probably take up no more than a couple of sheets, the Swiss keyboardist is able to perform extended, entrancing pieces that keep you on the edge of your seat the whole way because of the dedication put into a tight, telepathic group dynamic that adds so much to his charts. Bärtsch’s vehicles for carrying out such a vision is done through his Mobile and — most notably — Ronin ensembles.
You’ll see a lot of words devoted to Nik Bärtsch’s Ronin recordings in this space but it’s been six years, as the group hadn’t followed up on the triumphant Awase until late, 2024. SPIN, now out on Ronin Rhythm Records heralds the return of one of ECM Records best signings of the current century, only now, Nik Bärtsch is putting this out on his own label.
Joining Bärtsch this time are Roni’s original drummer and saxophonist Kaspar Rast and Sha, respectively. The all-important bass chair is now seeing its third occupant as Thomy Jordi has since been replaced by Jeremias Keller.
Most of the compositions in this presentation have been recorded by Bärtsch and his unit before, but that hardly makes these newer versions warmed over seconds. Bärtsch’s ‘moduls’ are essentially about establishing the framework around which he and his bandmates can roam and explore, in in that freedom, their approach to a modul evolves, adding more folds into the contour. Thus, Sha will come up with a new harmonic counterpoint or maybe a new angle is coming from Kasper Rast, whose unusual accent placement and steady, muscular pulses is a key ingredient for the Ronin sound.
“Modul 66” is in some ways a more conventional song structure with chord changes and a chorus. There’s even an electric piano that seeps in to go aside the piano, and he does this very discreetly throughout the album. But Bartsch’s pulse is the thread that runs through the whole song, and once they settle into a riff as they do here, they burrow into it and stay locked in the way only bands with a tight coalescence borne out of years of woodshedding it together can accomplish.
Ronin makes the patient development around a circular figure “Modul 63” alluring because they play so many variations on it, cannily disguising the minimalist aspect of the music.
The remaining three selections are primarily old tunes but with new twists that underscore how the incremental advancements Ronin has made over twenty years has kept them vital.
“Modul 70_51” does actually sound like two songs put together: a tentative, probing part and a smoldering, churning groove part. “Modul 51” is a remake of the song that originally appeared on Llyria, which pulls the curtain back on the differences between Keller and original bassist Björn Meyer, who left a fatter, lower sonic footprint than the nimbler Keller.
Keller’s propensity to reside on the higher end of the range becomes more palpable on “Modul 14,” where he undertakes a guitar role with his bass for the first half of the song. His sudden plunge into the low notes signals the whole group’s shift into the immovable groove, enriched by Rast’s constant mutating of the beat whilst maintaining the same meter.
Ronin has evolved into a band that plays with uncommon togetherness but has over the years developed a confidence to loosen up and stretch, knowing they won’t go awry of the spirit of Bärtsch’s charts. That’s exemplified on “Modul 23,” which first appeared on Rea from twenty years prior.
Each new Ronin release is like a turning point in a Ronin song: a step in an evolution where all the mystery, majesty and mad genius comes from the long journey itself and not the destination. SPIN continues Nik Bärtsch’s ritualistic groove safari, keeping it familiar but incremental enough to delight even longtime listeners to this quartet with new revelations.
SPIN is available today, from Bandcamp.
*** Nik Bärtsch CD’s and vinyl on Amazon ***
- Emily Remler – ‘Cookin’ At The Queens, Live In Las Vegas 1984 & 1988′ (2024) - December 9, 2024
- Nik Bärtsch’s Ronin – ‘SPIN’ (2024) - December 8, 2024
- Dan Blacksberg – ‘The Psychic/Body Sound System’ (2024) - December 1, 2024
