Open Secret

Born, raised and educated in Moscow and now based in Oslo, this is pianist Olga Konkova 4th album for Losen Records. An acoustic post-bop pianist/composer whose influences range from Herbie Hancock and John Lewis to Bill Evans, Chick Corea, and Keith Jarrett, Konkova favours a very clean and crystalline style of pianism, which is comparable to Ahmad Jamal and the underrated Walter Norris. Like Norris, Konkova is known for taking major liberties with familiar melodies.

'Open Secret' is a listener's journey. Imagine a kaleidoscope for the ears. Forms, colours and patterns gently and constantly evolving towards something yet unheard. Cohesive, unpredictable, delicate, intimate, extroverted, sombre and playful.

There is a very internal aspect to this music and the playing of the three performers, including Norwegian bassist Per Mathisen (Terje Rypdal ao) and British jazz and rock drummer Gary Husband. We don't hear a musical conversation between the musicians so much as we hear an exchange of thoughts, dreams, and half-forgotten memories. This is not music for spectators. The listener can't stand outside of the music and watch it go by. We are invited inside. The interplay between the musicians insists that we come and be a part of it.

The material spans the spectrum from quiet introspection, drawing the listener in close, to a driving intensity that challenges the sonic limits of the trio. Sometimes the music is sparse and aesthetic, creating immense weight and value for each individual note. At other times, the sounds come in a seemingly endless cascade to engulf and overwhelm the listener.

Personnel: Olga Konkova (piano, Fender Rhodes), Per Mathisen (bass), Gary Husband (drums)

Press:

"Konkova is one of the most engrossing and lyrical pianists playing today. This collection of her compositions is hypnotic in the ways that melodies and counter-melodies swirl around the listener...This will be a recording that I warmly recommend as one of the best albums this year." - Jazz Views