LOM

“LOM”, the second long-player by the trio Taranczewski – featuring pianist Olaf Taranczewski, bassist Jean-Philippe Wadle, and drummer Benedikt Stehle – is directly related to its remarkable predecessor, “When I Was”. This is because “LOM” is the antithesis of “When I Was” in every respect: conceptually, playfully, atmospherically, and sonically. And yet the trio does not relativize its debut in any way; on the contrary, it remains recognisable through its signature and impressively rounds off its spectrum.

Lom is a place in Norway that inspired Taranczewski, Wadle, and Stehle to embark on a sonic journey.

Olaf Taranczewski himself lived in Sweden for some time and is very familiar with the music of Esbjörn Svensson, to whom a song on the album is dedicated, and the pioneer of Swedish jazz, Jan Johansson. A major influence for the new pieces is the nature of the northern expanses. In contrast to the first record, the pieces were written as a trio from the beginning. “On ‘When I Was,’ I drew on material that had been created over the years in very different contexts,” says the pianist. “This time I composed pieces where I had the trio in mind from the start. As a result, there was much more clarity about what the album would sound like from the beginning. I didn’t have to formulate everything down to the smallest detail but could rely on the fact that something would develop from the joint work with Jean-Philippe and Benedikt. There was no doubt that there would be enough ideas from the two of them.”

“We needed far fewer arrangements, and everything was much more intuitive than on the first record,” confirms Jean-Philippe Wadle. “We hardly discussed things or recorded many takes. The music rests much more within itself. That’s why it was much easier for us to leave space in the music. Even though there were very few notes in the room, we always felt the energy emanating from the music.”

“How much silence do you want to allow on TikTok in 15 seconds?” asks Olaf Taranczewski with unfeigned astonishment. “This tendency is the absolute opposite of everything we want and love. Since there is less and less of our kind of music, we have to make it ourselves. Our album expresses the longing for peace and engagement in music.” It is precisely in this peace and longing that the point of reference to nature lies, Benedikt Stehle agrees. “You cannot just do 15 seconds of nature. You can find this peace and space in nature, but you can also find it in yourself.”

With their second album, Taranczewski offer a soundtrack for the urban need to slow down – and reach far more listeners than a classic piano trio might suggest. Online, their plays are already in the millions.

With Benedikt Stehle, drums and Jean-Philippe Wadle, bass.
All compositions by Olaf Taranczewski
Mixed by Olaf Taranczewski
Mastered by Olaf Taranczewski