Trim-Trimpo excel in innovative experimentalism on debut album

July 10, 2011 (Wellington City, New Zealand) Written by Robert Sutton. Imagine a broken puzzle on the floor, its pieces scattered about in geometric figures. At first they don't seem to make sense, a jumble of different shapes. But there is something alluring about them, appealing to intellectual curiosity. After gazing upon it, patterns start to emerge.

The same can be said for Trim-Trimpo, an innovative acoustic jazz trio that eschews accessible melodies for outré experimentalism and chilly improvisation. Trim-Trimpo has just released their self-titled debut album, and it's quite unlike anything on the market.

Featuring pianist Duncan Haynes, bassist Goncalo Almeida, and percussionist Luis Candeias, Trim-Trimpo flip over any clichés associated with jazz trios. This is a truly challenging, adventurous group; they produce music that redefines progressive jazz, liberating themselves from any stylistic restrictions and allowing their imaginations to run wild.

Some of the album has the atmospheric qualities of a film soundtrack but only for the artiest of cinema. On "Static Horizon," Haynes' piano seems to materialize behind bits of odd, ominous noise; it's like William S. Burroughs' disorienting, cut-and-splice prose as interpreted by instruments.

"Unprepared" has the quirky, childlike feel of a Tim Burton film while the clanging percussion of "Luis' Thing" is the perfect score to a chase scene. The band is completely out of control on the aptly named "Chaos" with Haynes and Candeias jamming as if their lives depended on it. However, Trim-Trimpo ends the record on a relatively mellow note with the scratchy percussion, minimalist piano, and spine-tingling bass of "Epilogue."

Trim-Trimpo was brought together by a string of jazz festivals in Portugal in 2007. At the time they performed as a quartet with saxophonist Bruno Margalho to play Haynes' compositions. They decided to reunite as a trio in the Netherlands to record the bracing abstract soundscapes that propel this album.

More Information: http://www.duncanhaynes.com

Submitted By: