Paper Trio — Hippo Road
I think it’s fair to say that the use of scat singing/ jazz vocalising has a decidedly mixed/ often negative history- more often than not, it can sound either very pretentious, annoying, or just plain silly. So as a result, I usually avoid anything related/ connected to it the like plague, and this is where Hippo Road comes in, as I think it easily stands as one of the most rewarding, versatile, and creative examples I’ve heard of the form, along as been a great edgy/moody improv jazz release.
The Paper Trio brings together Randi Pontoppidan - voice, paper & live electronic processing. Thomas Agergaard - alto flute, soprano, tenor saxophone & paper. Greg Cohen( worked with the likes of Bill Frisell, John Zorn, Lou Reed, Laurie Anderson, and Tom Waits) on double bass & Paper. This is the trio's debut release.
The CD album has a playtime of nearly forty-four minutes, with the fourteen tracks running between one and seven minutes apiece. There is a keen sense of variation and creativity throughout.
In the first half of the album, we move from the title track, which blends a steady 'n' brooding bass pulse, waveringly wailing to passionately wabbling vocalising, and horn work that shifts between angular and moodily harmonic. There’s “Litho” with its mixture of piping/ cut-up vocal spats, soaring vocal swoops, bounding to grooving bass, and frightful/ darting horn work. We have the building ambient glow meets subtly forking tension of “Golden Blume” with its taut bass wondering, vocal sails 'n' wails, and flighty horn tones.
Later on, we go from the eerier bubbling ‘n’ popping, loose bass twang, warningly warbling to rather haunting vocalising, and flute flourishes of “Tiny Troubles”. Though to the slinky-yet-stark bass fumble, dartingly baying to breathy vocals, and pressing to harmonically playful horns of “Nedgravet Skat”.
So, in conclusion, Hippo Road is a great debut- that balances creative to atmospheric vocalising with some great/skilful improv jazz. Let us hope this isn’t a one-off, and we get more Paper Trio work down the line!. To pick up