Oliver Leicht [ACHT.] - A_Trak__Some Songs (CD)

Release Date: 12/10/21

Oliver Leicht takes his audience into the world of sounds of this remarkable small orchestra - from chamber music trio to collective improvisations.

The journey continues - with a 53-minute musical excursion by his ensemble [Acht.], divided into six tracks, Oliver Leicht takes his audience into the world of sounds of this remarkable small orchestra. It consists of only nine musicians, but with them it draws from a musical reservoir that would suggest a larger instrumentation. It effortlessly overcomes stylistic boundaries and thus leads on sonic excursions from chamber music trio to collective improvisations, from electronic (pop) music to jazz in an orchestral guise.

Already on the previous three releases Leicht mentioned the flexibility of the nonet, which allows '... to have the spontaneity and interaction of a small band, yet be able to realize complex sounds and arrangements at the same time.' These two poles are also found in the current recording. However, this time the journey goes even further, even deeper into multifaceted soundscapes in the field of tension between Leicht's still complex arrangements on the one hand, and the improvisations and interpretations of the top-class ensemble on the other. The foray goes past various styles described at the beginning, which is reflected not least in the title of the production. The title-giving A_TRAK is audibly inspired by track-based electronic 'drum & bass' music. The remaining five tracks follow other, different compositional paths, not without incorporating various electronic sounds created or controlled by Leicht himself.

Unchanged is the instrumentation of low brass and rhythm section. In the latter, however, two instruments have been added in comparison to the ensemble's first releases. The cello, to which bassist Matthias Eichhorn switches at selected spots, and as an additional voice the piano, which has been permanently played at concerts for several years and now as well at this production by Hendrik Soll.