João Paulo Esteves da Silva - The River (2023)

Joāo Paulo Esteves da Silva piano

Mário Franco double bass
Samuel Rohrer percussion

Arjunamusic Records presents the new album "The River", from the trio of João Paulo Esteves da Silva, Mário Franco and Samuel Rohrer, following on the aesthetic developed on their previous release "Brightbird" from 2017: it is characterized by meaningful pauses and clever subtractions, but it is also a strong and mature demonstration of the fruitful partnership that exists between them and more undeniably perceptible musical features. The group’s willingness to consider the value of the spaces between the notes (and their understanding that reflection and contemplation upon those spaces is an act of engagement rather than detachment) is one immediately recognizable feature of their sonic terrain. However, it’s far from the only one.

In the final estimation, the dialogue between the perceptible and the imperceptible works as well as it does here because an aesthetic of mutual exchange is central to these musicians’ playing styles. It is rare to hear albums in which the gestalt can be comprehended rather than voluntarily or involuntarily zooming in on a single player or aspect of the presentation; the trio here has created something that can be appreciated in its totality and which challenges listeners to apply its qualities to other areas of lived experience.