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David Helbock: Think of Two

 A l b u m   D e t a i l s


Label: Traumton Records
Released: 2014
Time:
 78:19
Category: Jazz
Producer(s): David Helbock, Johannes Bar, Andreas Broger
Rating:
Media type: CD
Web address: www.davidhelbock.com
Appears with:
Purchase date: 2015
Price in €: 1,00





 S o n g s ,   T r a c k s


[1] Voa, Ilza (Hermeto Pascoal) - 5:19
[2] ’Round Midnight (Thelonious Monk) - 7:01
[3] Nas Quebradas (Hermeto Pascoal) - 5:47
[4] Raise Four (Thelonious Monk) - 6:17
[5] Música Das Nuvens E Do Chão (Hermeto Pascoal) - 8:18
[6] Trinkle Tinkle (Thelonious Monk) - 4:19
[7] Tupizando (Hermeto Pascoal) - 7:13
[8] Pannonica (Thelonious Monk) - 7:09
[9] Palhinha Do Hermeto E Da Aline (Hermeto Pascoal) - 0:59
[10] Para Hermeto (David Helbock) - 6:18
[11] Floresta (Hermeto Pascoal) - 7:10
[12] Think Of One (Thelonious Monk) - 7:16

 A r t i s t s ,   P e r s o n n e l


David Helbock - Piano, Inside-Piano, Toy-Piano, Melodica, Bass Drum , Clave, Percussion, Toys, Electronics, Producer
Johannes Bar - Trumpet, Flugelhorn, Piccolo-Trumpet, Bass-Trumpet, Baritone Horn, Tuba, Helicon, Sousaphone, Alphorn, Didgeridoo, Beatbox, Percussion, Electronics, Producer
Andreas Broger - Tenor & Soprano Saxophone, Clarinet, Bass Clarinet, Flute, Slide-Trumpet, Bass Drum, Percussion, Electronics, Producer

Martin Offik - Recording Engineer on [1-8,10-12], Mixing
Beto Japa - Recording Engineer on [9]
Wolfgang Loos - Mastering
Severin Koller - Cover Photography
Bayerisches Jazzinstitut - Photography Hermeto and Monk
Ludwig-Binder-Archiv - Photography Hermeto and Monk

 C o m m e n t s ,   N o t e s


2014 CD Traumton Records – Traumton 4599

Recorded and mixed in June 2013 at Traumton Studios, Berlin, except [9] recorded at Trilhas Urbanas Studio, Curitiba, Brazil. Mastered in October 2013 at Traumton Studios, Berlin.



Inferring that his Germany-based trio is a multitasking machine would be an understatement. With a fleet of instruments at their disposal, the compositions are largely sinuous, vastly complex, and highly coordinated. The musicians toggle between instruments to alter the pitch, accent the rhythms or whirl through complex unison choruses while adding wit and whimsy into the grand schema. Pianist David Helbock provides one composition, yet the program is fabricated around works by Thelonious Monk and legendary Brazilian composer Hermeto Pascoal.

The trio enacts Pascoal's "Musica das Nuvens e do Chao," like a mini-suite amid shifting reinventions of the principal melody. They kick it off with a surreal approach and dissect the familiar theme into chunks, then open it up with conventional phrasings via soft horns and Helbock's linear block chord progressions. Here, Johannes Bar enlists the bass element with his baritone horn as Andreas Broger's blithe flute lines over the top spawn the customarily cheerful aura of Brazilian music. But the musicians periodically toggle between instruments to generate subtle hues and textures. In a loose sense, they impart a sleight of hand mystique akin to a magician, where semblances of a larger ensemble come to fruition. The group also varies the pulse throughout, as Helbock's lush piano solo ends with a dark and somewhat dour chord. Hence, a rather astonishing trio that is purportedly a dazzling live act.

Rating: 4,5 out of 5

GLENN ASTARITA - January 27, 2014
© 2015 All About Jazz



In a world, random at the basic level, a semblance of order has been established, taken up through the scales, and all that resulted, among others into creatures that create.  Music for instance.  Now you take two of the real musicians (Thelonious Monk and Hermeto Pascoal) or rather their music and start another creation. In this case that means : you amass a staggering amount of noisemakers, there is three of you and you call yourself Random/Control. Your names are : David Helbock, Johannes Bär and Andi Broger. What do you do, you have listened to the masters themselves, you have listened to many interpretations of the masters’ music, you have about 10 instruments each, which allows for 30 + 300 + 1000 + 1 possible small sound-producing clusters.  And you have the curiosity of children playing with the minds of controlled musicians. You uncovered the humour so often overlooked by others.

It must be incredible fun. Sometimes I cannot but think that musicians are the most privileged humans on the planet, being just there and doing just that. Disregard all needs. Now luckily we can participate in this joy. Live of course, nothing beats live (they must be awesome live) or once removed.

“Think of Two” you call your record and the people who are affected by the names will flock to it. You take Hermeto’s Voa Ilza, introduce the jungle noises and the merry dance ensuing. Do Bresil naturalments. These days I like music that makes my foot tap. Helbock plays the piano with blocked strings, giving it a great Cagean percussion sound, and there is some ferocious taking it away. Even blown through a straw. And some great stride piano. And so on. You can’t dance about architecture. End with the theme. And stray in another world, pulled deeper in, pulsing in the distance, piano pulling out notes, and this all building into the wonderful Round Midnight. Their version is there with the greats. Hush now. Allow the velvet. Once again I can go on and I won’t. They end with Think of One, starting it off in a Tibetan temple ceremony then bringing it down the mountain, chopping it up and after lapsing into lazy swing, they pull out the stops and leave you with that most wonderful moment  :  the silence immediately after a great set.  No applause. And after a long silence they give you one last bit. Ending it like a broken radio. Magic.

I do not mince words today.

David Helbock says that he feels very good in the area “zwischen kontrolliertem Spiel und freiem Spiel” and they all do. Sometimes you get hit by music that takes you places. 

Rating: 3,5 out of 5

Hugo Truyens - April 22, 2014
Copyright © 2015 The Free Jazz Collective



The Europeans have almost always been adventurous first. After all, it was the Europeans who sailed to the New World and not the other way around. So also with Charlie Parker; it was Boris Vian who was among the first to really appreciate his music, while others were still calling it offensive and wrong. The Europeans were also first to “get” musicians from Sidney Bechet, Thelonious Monk, Kenny Clarke to Ben Webster; the Dutch and Swedes to “get” Eric Dolphy; and Albert Ayler… and so on… So it should come as no surprise that Think of Two by the Austrian, David Helbock’s Random Control is a magnificent album. After all it is a tribute to Thelonious Monk and that great Brasilian, the Sorcerer, Hermeto Pascoal. The music is inspired—well beyond what music inspires it—and it is truly original, creative, venturesome and quite beautiful. Being an homage does not mean to say that it must copy or reproduce, but rather explain and enhance the music and the musicians that it seeks to pay homage to. This it does in the grand manner. And for that all praise must go to the three musicians who play this music—the repertoire of Mr. Monk and Mr. Pascoal. This is the brass player Johannes Bär, the woodwinds and reeds player, Andreas Broger and or course the man who re-invented it all: the keyboard wizard and all-round genius, David Helbock, who helms the group, Random Control.

The music is riveting, recognisable and yet so new that it just might have been created by the original artists in another day and age. It is also humorous as the original artists intended it to be. Too bad no one was taking notice then. But here is a second chance to do so. Most of all it is played by musicians who are unbridled virtuosos, well-versed in music history as well as all good conservatoire musicians are required to be (although this should never be seen as a pre-requisite for any good music). But the fact is that Mr. Helbock gets it. His “New Orleans” march and strut and his “stride” piano is exquisite and played to perfection. He seems to have mastered the art of pianoforte as well as its myriad styles (for want of a better word). This is also true of Johannes Bär, who is a virtuoso on a variety of horns and he plays each with such mastery as if it were his main instrument. His accents are superb and that makes his expression something quite breathtaking. This is also true of Andreas Broger, who plays his reeds as if he were master of all. But there is more. The musicians are also masters of the idiom in which the music is played. Not only are they proficient in jazz, but also choro, forró, and other Brasilian patterns and their brilliance in each is truly amazing. But technicality is one thing; being able to use and invent in each form is quite another.

The music of Thelonious Monk is deconstructed as no one—except Heiner Stadler—has done before. “’Round Midnight” is one of the most temperamental charts, but the manner in which it has been tamed by these musicians and astoundingly re-constructed is something that will leave the listener breathless. The moodiness of the hour is turned into real crepuscular music; its colours are indigo blue and bible-black. “Pannonica” is another masterful re-construction; exquisitely coloured by virtue of the instrumentation and the gorgeous timbres of the instruments. So also are the other Thelonious Monk compositions. It is also of note that the manner in which the more contemporaneous Hermeto Pascoal’s music is played is astonishing and truly memorable. “Nas Quebradas” is a masterpiece. The choro, “Palhinha do Hermeto e da Aline” is beyond beautiful and makes a gorgeous tribute to the master as is “Hermeto”. Both these compositions are not only true to the very nature of Brasilian music but they also capture the idiosyncrasies of Mr. Pascoal’s unique voice.

If anything this is a flawless album and it will be the envy of many musicians. It also goes to reinforce the idea that most European players keep a more open and more fearless mind when it comes to invention and improvisation, and when it comes to paying real tribute to the giants of music in any idiom.

Raul da Gama - Feb 24, 2014
© 2014-2015 Jazz Global Media Network



David Helbock has always been a musician full of surprises. Never really set on only one direction, the native of Vorarlberg has always been a musical chameleon in terms of style and changes color depending on the environment. With his trio Random/Control, the pianist gets his creative juices flowing together with his colleagues Johannes Bär and Andi Broger and takes it to the next level. Released on the 28th of January 2014, the new album „Think of Two“ (Traumton Records) is an impressive and captivating illustration of absolute musical diversity. Covering an incredibly wide stylistic spectrum and at the same time a high degree of wit, the trio displays exciting arrangements of favorite songs, which also comes close to big sound theater, due to the use of several dozen instruments.

20131015-random-control-booklet-6s-04.inddThe album was inspired by two of the greatest icons of jazz history, namely Thelonious Monk and Hermeto Pascoal. To be more specific, this album mainly features the pieces of these two musicians that David Helbock, Johannes Bär and Andi Broger have taken on for adaptation. And just like their role models, the trio successfully ventures in opening the boundaries of jazz to other directions.

From the very first tone it becomes quite clear where the musical journey is heading. The tonal variety is of utmost priority, as well as overcoming the usual terminology, the intentional breaking out of conventional jazz structures and the love of experimenting. David Helbock, who has now relocated to the German capital, and his two congenial partners succeed in an almost inimitable and effortless way to bridge the gap between various components, from composition through to improvisation, from traditional through to contemporary, from one style to another. An additional facet of the songs is the constant interplay of the three musicians with opposites and contrasts. Passages characterized by very playful, sometimes refreshingly quirky and complex rhythm work, are often followed by elongated and rather quiet and soulful melodies full of suspense, which then in turn are further ramped up towards an ultimate climax.

Random/Control practices a constant back and forth, which however still feels monolithic and integrally connected. The spontaneous twists and turns of David Helbock, Johannes Bär and Andi Broger are transformed into a homogeneous musical flow, which fortunately skips all the bulkiness and is easily accessible for the listener.

„Think of Two“ is an album that is strikingly different due to the musical diversity and noticeable joy of creating music. Definitely music worth listening to.

Austrian Music Export - 01/29/2014



Think of Two, the new album from David Helbock's Random/Control based in Germany, isn't music for the conservative jazz lover. Although the tunes on the set include well-known jazz standards by Thelonious Monk and Brazilian multi-instrumentalist Hermeto Pascoal, they are explored with what might be called the paradoxical Random/Control aesthetic, a modernist attempt to marry the two diametrically opposed organizing principles that give the ensemble its name. The result, depending on the listener's taste, is either an imaginative journey to the musical edge or a misguided leap over that edge.

HelbockWith the oft-cited blunders of critics burdened with old values when met with new musical ideas, I am hesitant to dismiss Helbock out of hand, but in all honesty, I must confess that for much of the album I neither understand, nor care to listen to what the Random/Control trio is doing. I find myself liking them best the more traditional they sound. For example, in a composition like Monk's "Pannonica," you get some absolutely gorgeous passages juxtaposed with passages of pure cacophony, and this kind of contrast runs through nearly each and every one of the album's dozen tracks.

Many of the songs begin with a collage of strange ambient-found sounds. The trio's members-Helbock, Johannes Bar, and Andreas Broger-are credited with over 30 instruments, some quite exotic, so there are ample tools for strange ambiance between them. There are times, however, when you can have too much of a good thing. There is a feeling that everybody has to show what he can do with each of the different instruments, and it takes the focus away from the totality of the music.

At times the instrumentation seems almost intended comically, as in their version of Monk's "Trinkle, Tinkle" or the monkey-like noises in "Para Hermeto," the lone Helbock original composition. Too often, it seems like the instrumental variety calls attention to itself rather than contributing to a unified reading of the piece. Random dominates control.

All that said, experimental music makes its own audience. Yesterday's avant-garde is today's classic, and today's cacophony may well be tomorrow's norm.

Jack Goodstein - January 16, 2014
BLOGCRITICS.ORG



Der Pianist David Helbock bildet zusammen mit den multiinstrumentalen Blechbläsern Johannes Bär und Andreas Broger die Gruppe David Helbock’s Random / Control. Die drei gehen sehr leidenschaftlich zu Werke. Während der Aufnahmen im Studio soll es wegen der fliegenden Instrumentenwechsel sogar schon zu Unfällen gekommen sein.
Davon ist auf "Think Of Two", dem zweiten Album des Trios, glücklicherweise nichts zu hören. Das Album lebt von einer spielerischen Leichtigkeit, die mühelos Kulturen, Entfernungen und Stile überbrückt.

"Think Of Two" ist für David Helbock eine Art Resümee seiner bisherigen Karriere und wird geprägt von zwei Musikern, die ihn am meisten beeinflusst haben: dem US-Jazzer Thelonious Monk und dem brasilianischen Multiinstrumentalisten Hermeto Pascoal. Letzterer nahm für Helbock den Song "Palhinha do Hermeto e da Aline" auf und ist ein erklärter Monk-Fan. So sitzen auf "Think Of Two" nun also drei Brüder im Geiste einträchtig zusammen auf dem Klavierschemel.

Das Resultat ist eine große Gaudi, ein Hoch- und Runtersausen durch die Klaviatur der Möglichkeiten.

JPC.de



... bedient sich dieser kongeniale Dreier hier bei allen möglichen Instrumenten und Klangerzeugern ... Dass sie sich bei all ihren kreativen Einfällen und ihrer Experimentierlust dabei nie verzetteln, stattdessen den Vorlagen von Monk und Pascoal spannende, farbenfrohe und unerwartete neue Gesichter verpassen, das macht diese CD zu einer echten Entdeckung für unvoreingenommene Ohren.

Jazzthing, Februar / März 2014



Der Vorarlberger Pianist besetzt mit seinem Trio Random / Control konsequent eine Nische. Denn seine Musik hat viele musikantische Elemente und spielt mit Bedeutung, ohne darüber die Ernsthaftigkeit zu vergessen.

Audio, März 2014
 

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