Joel Lyssarides – Late on Earth

The music presented here by Swedish pianist Joel Lyssarides is deeply atmospheric.

It evokes a contemplative, meditative atmosphere that is at the same time sunny—though a Scandinavian sun that does not burn and does not drive one to seek shade. T

he piano displays a way of unfolding harmonic textures that avoids excessive sophistication and favors full chords, rich in melody, which the musician sometimes draws from the lower registers of his instrument. In this context, the right hand unfolds beautiful melodies with shimmering contours and an often pearly touch, which sound natural, even impressively candid, and gently nestle in the listener’s ear.

On other tracks—all penned by Lyssarides—the listener is carried to shores where the rhythm is more assertive in a deliberately staccato phrasing, while retaining that musical quality that makes them seem like hymns of a benevolent and human religion.

The pianist is accompanied in this endeavor by two first-rate partners.

Niklas Fernqvist is a bassist with a lush, rich, and deep tone, and his peaceful, majestic drive suits his bandleader perfectly.

Rasmus Blixt, for his part, makes eminently melodic use of his drums, where he multiplies the shimmer of cymbals, favoring at times a highly subtle brushwork.

All in all, this is an album that easily wins you over with the sincerity of its approach to the band’s sound—a quality that sets it apart, from the very first notes, from most of its competitors in a stylistic niche where the piano-bass-drums trio is the most popular instrumental jazz lineup.