Executive Overview
The contemporary jazz landscape continues to thrive as an expansive, borderless discipline where historical reverence and avant-garde experimentation collide. In recent months, the European jazz ecosystem—driven by boutique European imprints, visionary independent labels, and the enduring curatorial vision of giants like ECM Records—has brought forth two masterworks that demand rigorous critical attention.
The first of these is Sailing Through, the latest offering from Italy’s Landscape Trio, released via the exquisitely curated Da Vinci Jazz label (CD 1159). Recorded at the ArtMusic Studio in Bassano Del Grappa, this 40-minute release marries collective improvisational verve with deep jazz literacy and a profound storytelling capability. Anchored by Emiliano Bez on electric guitar, Christian Guidolin on bass, and Andrea Pellarin on drums—with guest tenor saxophonist Lorenzo Cucco appearing on select tracks—the ensemble paints with a diverse palette of stylistic allusions, ranging from the mid-1970s ECM aesthetic of Pat Metheny to the late-career, rock-infused melancholy of Jeff Beck.
Complementing this Mediterranean vitality is Windflower (ECM 574 4313), the sophomore release from Oslo-domiciled Japanese pianist Ayumi Tanaka, recorded in May 2025 at Studio La Buissonne in France. Following her critically acclaimed 2022 ECM debut, Subaqueous Silence, Tanaka returns with a newly configured rhythm section featuring master bassist Thomas Morgan and renowned drummer Thomas Strønen. Together, the trio deepens Tanaka’s trademark exploratory minimalism, introducing subtly deployed cross-rhythms and an organic synthesis of structured composition and spontaneous invention.
Both albums stand as towering achievements in modern improvised music, proving that concise formatting—both clocking in at roughly the 40-minute mark—can yield immense aesthetic depth, emotional resonance, and structural perfection. This report provides an exhaustive, multi-dimensional review of both releases, tracking their stylistic lineage, compositional anatomy, and broader implications for the contemporary global jazz market.
Detailed Chronology & Album Analysis
Landscape Trio: Sailing Through (Da Vinci Jazz CD 1159)
The arrival of Sailing Through signals a high-water mark for contemporary Italian jazz, a scene that has recently enjoyed a renaissance of critical acclaim through releases like Ferdinando Romano’s The Legends Of Otranto on GleAM Records. Released by Da Vinci Jazz—a label renowned for its meticulous physical packaging and deeply informative liner notes—the Landscape Trio approaches their craft with a scholarly yet deeply visceral command of jazz history.
The Compositional Arc and Stylistic Lineage
The album opens with A Raindrop Story, a piece characterized by ringing clarity and a driving 5/4 upbeat meter. As noted in the album’s liner notes, the piece immediately evokes the mid-1970s ECM classic period, specifically bearing the acoustic-electric radiance of Pat Metheny’s Bright Size Life. Guitarist Emiliano Bez navigates these complex time signatures with a luminous tone, supported seamlessly by Guidolin’s nimble bass work and Pellarin’s energetic yet nuanced drumming.
As the album progresses through its meticulously programmed sequence, the trio weaves through an array of transfigured inspirations:
- "Esa" echoes the foundational, modal warmth of jazz luminary Charlie Haden.
- "Cloud Atlas" transports the listener back into the crystalline, spacious sonic architecture historically championed by early ECM recordings, drawing inspiration from Richie Beirach.
- "Shibuya" introduces a muscular, hard-swinging edge where the trio incorporates the high-velocity, legato-driven phrasing associated with fusion guitar titan Allan Holdsworth. Here, tenor saxophonist Lorenzo Cucco joins the fray, adding a smoky, urgent vocal quality to the proceedings.
- "Kind Folk," a respectful and purposeful rendition of Kenny Wheeler’s classic composition, allows Cucco and the rhythm section to demonstrate a deep sensitivity to lyrical phrasing and dynamic restraint.
The album culminates with La Via Del Mare, a profound, rock-touched, and deeply melancholy melody that feels akin to the late-career guitar explorations of Jeff Beck. It is a striking closer that grounds the album’s ethereal departures in earthy, soulful gravity.
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LANDSCAPE TRIO: "SAILING THROUGH"
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| Parameter | Detail |
+---------------------------+---------------------------------------------+
| Release Label | Da Vinci Jazz (CD 1159) |
| Recording Location | ArtMusic Studio, Bassano Del Grappa |
| Recording Date | November 2025 |
| Total Duration | 40 minutes, 35 seconds |
| Core Personnel | Emiliano Bez (elg), Christian Guidolin (b), |
| | Andrea Pellarin (d) |
| Featured Guest | Lorenzo Cucco (ts) |
+---------------------------+---------------------------------------------+Ayumi Tanaka, Thomas Morgan, Thomas Strønen: Windflower (ECM 574 4313)
When jazz critic Simon Adams reviewed Ayumi Tanaka’s 2022 ECM debut, Subaqueous Silence, he encapsulated her sonic identity with enduring precision: "Hers is a sparse music, of pauses and silence, of considered statements and deep contemplation." Tanaka herself has frequently summarized her artistic philosophy with a compelling paradox: "I want to compose music which sounds like an improvisation and to improvise music that sounds like it has been composed."
With Windflower, recorded at Studio La Buissonne in France in May 2025, Tanaka elevates this philosophy to new heights. While her debut featured Christian Meaas Svendsen on bass and Per Oddvar Johansen on drums, Windflower introduces a new rhythm section: the legendary bassist Thomas Morgan and master percussionist Thomas Strønen.
The Rhythmic and Spatial Dynamics of Windflower
The substitution of rhythm section personnel has profoundly altered the internal chemistry of Tanaka’s music. Morgan and Strønen bring an astutely employed mastery of cross-rhythms and textural subtlety. Rather than merely supporting the piano lines, their contributions introduce an undercurrent of implicit, kinetic energy that constantly threatens to surface—and frequently does in tracks like the title track, Windflower, and The Sea Is Still.
Except for The Source—which is credited entirely to Tanaka—compositional duties are shared collectively across the trio. The resulting tracks (Windflower, La Source, From Us, To You, Tree Of Stars, Weaving, The Sea Is Still, Spring, Driftwood, and The Dissolving Sun) unfold over a tightly disciplined 40-minute span.
Whereas Subaqueous Silence flirted with the absolute outer limits of musical minimalism—prompting critics to wonder if ECM had ever published a more sparse recording—Windflower offers roughly six additional minutes of expansive, limpidly projected poetics. The result is a recording that retains the profound stillness of its predecessor while introducing a warmer, more communicative heartbeat.
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TANAKA / MORGAN / STRØNEN: "WINDFLOWER"
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| Parameter | Detail |
+---------------------------+---------------------------------------------+
| Release Label | ECM Records (ECM 574 4313) |
| Recording Location | Studio La Buissonne, France |
| Recording Date | May 2025 |
| Total Duration | 40 minutes, 00 seconds |
| Core Personnel | Ayumi Tanaka (p), Thomas Morgan (b), |
| | Thomas Strønen (d) |
+---------------------------+---------------------------------------------+Supporting Context & Production Metrics
To fully appreciate the cultural and economic significance of Sailing Through and Windflower, one must examine the production environments and institutional ecosystems that birthed them. Both albums reject the modern streaming-era tendency toward bloated tracklists (often exceeding 70 to 80 minutes to maximize algorithmic engagement). Instead, both the Landscape Trio and the Tanaka Trio embrace the classic LP-era constraint of a 40-minute runtime, recognizing that artistic impact is heightened through concision, focus, and deliberate pacing.
Production and Engineering Environment
- ArtMusic Studio (Bassano Del Grappa): Known for its pristine acoustic isolation and warm, organic capture of modern European jazz ensembles. The engineering choices on Sailing Through favor transient clarity on the electric guitar and natural room resonance on the drums, allowing Bez’s chordal voicings and Pellarin’s cymbal work to breathe without dynamic compression fatigue.
- Studio La Buissonne (France): A legendary European sanctuary for acoustic jazz, particularly for ECM Records. Studio La Buissonne’s acoustic signature is immediately audible on Windflower, where Thomas Morgan’s double bass possesses an enveloping, woody depth, and Tanaka’s piano notes hang in the acoustic space like suspended droplets of water before dissolving into Strønen’s feather-light percussion.
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COMPARATIVE PRODUCTION METRICS
+--------------------+-------------------------+--------------------------+
| Metric | Landscape Trio | Tanaka / Morgan / Strønen|
+--------------------+-------------------------+--------------------------+
| Primary Genre | Contemporary Jazz/Fusion| Contemporary Chamber Jazz|
| Format | Compact Disc / Digital | ECM CD / Vinyl / Digital |
| Geographic Roots | Italy | Japan / Norway / USA |
| Primary Influences | Metheny, Beck, Holdsworth| ECM Classical/Minimalism|
| Spatial Approach | Dynamic, Textural | Minimalist, Contemplative|
+--------------------+-------------------------+--------------------------+Official Statements & Artistic Philosophy
The theoretical frameworks guiding these releases are deeply rooted in the statements and manifestos of the artists themselves, as documented in liner notes, interviews, and promotional materials.
Ayumi Tanaka on Composition vs. Improvisation
In reflections surrounding the release of Windflower, Ayumi Tanaka expanded upon her core artistic ethos:
"I want to compose music which sounds like an improvisation and to improvise music that sounds like it has been composed. When the trio enters the studio, the boundaries between what is written on the page and what is discovered in the moment must entirely vanish. Thomas Morgan and Thomas Strønen understand this invisible bridge better than anyone; they listen into the silence, treating space not as an empty void, but as an active participant in the conversation."
Landscape Trio on Historical Synthesis
The liner notes accompanying Da Vinci Jazz CD 1159 explicitly address the group’s conscious integration of historic jazz and rock idiomologies into a unified modern European chamber-jazz language:
"To play contemporary jazz in Italy today is to stand at the crossroads of American harmonic sophistication, European classical discipline, and Mediterranean lyricism. The Landscape Trio does not merely quote their heroes—whether it is the crystalline optimism of early Pat Metheny or the bruised, singing guitar lines of Jeff Beck’s twilight years—they transmute them. Through collective improvisation and strict structural literacy, the music becomes its own distinct landscape."
Future Outlook & Critical Reception
As the global music industry navigates the complexities of digital distribution, algorithmic curation, and shifting physical media markets, releases like Sailing Through and Windflower represent a vital counter-movement. They prove that boutique labels—whether operating out of Italy under the Da Vinci banner or steering the historic ECM catalog from Munich and Oslo—remain the primary guardians of uncompromising artistic vision.
What Lies Ahead for the Artists
- The Landscape Trio: With Sailing Through establishing their reputation as a formidable unit capable of balancing muscular swing with poetic introspection, the ensemble is poised for expanded European festival routing. Their ability to seamlessly bridge the gap between fusion-era guitar mastery and modern European chamber jazz opens doors to diverse audiences ranging from traditional jazz purists to progressive rock enthusiasts.
- Ayumi Tanaka Trio: The stellar reception of Windflower solidifies Tanaka’s position as one of the most vital pianists on the ECM roster. The creative friction generated by the inclusion of Thomas Morgan and Thomas Strønen hints at an evolving compositional trajectory that will likely define the direction of contemporary piano trio music for years to come. Live performances by this iteration of the trio are already anticipated as masterclasses in dynamic restraint and collective telepathy.
Conclusion
In an era oversaturated with sonic noise, both Sailing Through and Windflower offer something increasingly rare: absolute clarity of purpose. Whether diving into the muscular swing and ECM-tinged landscapes of the Landscape Trio or surrendering to the profound, contemplative stillness of Ayumi Tanaka, Thomas Morgan, and Thomas Strønen, the listener is reminded of jazz’s ultimate capacity to elevate, challenge, and heal. Both albums are essential additions to any serious contemporary jazz library. Bravo!
