Nik Bartsch's Ronin Awase (2 LP)

180g Vinyl Double LP Reissue!
“Awase”, a term from martial arts, means “moving together” in the sense of matching energies, a fitting metaphor for the dynamic precision, tessellated grooves and balletic minimalism of Nik Bärtsch’s Ronin. Six years have passed since the last release from the Swiss group. In the interim, trimmed from quintet to quartet size and with new bassist Thomy Jordi fully integrated, Ronin has become a subtly different band. Bärtsch speaks of a new-found freedom and flexibility in the approach to the material, with “greater transparency, more interaction, more joy in every performance”. The freedom here extends to revisiting early Bärtsch modules alongside new compositions including, for the first time on a Ronin record, a piece by reedman Sha. Awase was recorded at Studios La Buissonne in the south of France in October 2017 and produced by Manfred Eicher.
"The album continues his modular approach, by which larger bodies coalesce from elemental forces. The newest of these, ‘Modul 60’ and ‘Modul 59’, open and close the album with hints of a concentrated future. Where the latter emotes in liminal territory, the former is a direct link to ‘Continuum’, Bärtsch’s previous record for ECM with his Mobile project. Any nods to the past, however, are refracted through a brighter coming of age: a sound that once ran now leaps. […] ‘Awase’ is also a departure for including a non-Bärtsch original by Sha: the enigmatically titled ‘A’. Gradually building an ocean out of a water droplet, its waves flow to magnetic suggestions of an itinerant philosophical compass. Like the album as a whole, it toes the line between light and shadow with every intention of shedding its ego to both along (and by) the way." - Tyran Grillo, New York City Jazz Record
"Each musician captures the essence of the composer’s gift for texture, which is usually bolstered by juxtaposing exquisite lines in the form of ostinatos. […] The 18-minute ‘Modul 58’ can be seen as a sum of all the other pieces. It starts with slowly built piano layers enlivened by occasional bass harmonics and pumps, delicate cymbal splashes, and non-intrusive sax embellishments. Obstinate high-pitched notes on the piano drive us into a hypnotic rhythm that feels half-rock, half-electronic. Afterward, the quartet goes through a percussive phase enriched by saxophone pop sounds and air notes, muted pianism, and hi-hat delineations. It all ends up in a danceable acid jazz-funk hooked up in the fine rhythmic counterpoint between sax and piano. […] Bartsch’s ‘Awase’ might feel easy on the ear, but, taking into account its level of musical thoroughness, is certainly an arduous work to execute. Don’t expect improvised moments in the way they are commonly associated with jazz. This is a totally different approach, where the bandleader distills contemporary musical luster with sure-footed ritualistic grooves." - Filipe Freitas, Jazz Trail
"After ‘Modul 60,’ the reflective and tranquil opener to ‘Awase’, from pianist Nik Bärtsch's groove-metric quartet Ronin, ‘Modul 58’ comes at you with such an insistence and power that it leaves you, after its persistent eighteen minutes, catching your breath, marveling at how you went from zero to mach 10 in the blink of an eye. […] Play with our heads the music does, though, in a dizzying, grand way, employing simple patterns unconcerned with downbeats or expectations and mantra-like modules (or "Moduls," as Bärtsch chooses to title his works) of sheer minimalist groove that expand, contract and expand again at the whim and will of both composer and players." - Mike Jurkovic, All About Jazz
"A rousing groove jazz album in fantastic sound quality [...] The title of the new album 'Awase' means something like 'moving together' in Japanese aikido martial arts. And this is exactly what happens in the pieces traditionally designated by Bärtsch only with a module and a number [...] The effect is partly hypnotic, just as the ensemble, supported by Thommy Jordis's richly priming bass and Kaspar Rast's distinctive drums, starts to groove. [...] The highlight is 'Module 58', which really rocks and brings the formidable sound quality of the production to bear in the best way." - Lothar Brandt, Mint
"‘Awase’ reveals Bärtsch's aesthetic methodology as instantly recognizable to anyone who has heard it before. That said, he's also expanded its color, texture, and timbral palettes, bringing a more strident physicality into Ronin's skeletal music and extrapolating it in more readily accessible harmonic compositions -- without sacrificing the layers of mystery in its heart." - Thom Jurek, All Music
"The instrumentalists play repetitive figures or patterns that overlap polymetrically and interlink with each other. So the simple motifs shift against each other and meet at always different points. What always seems to be the same at first, always appears new due to the evolving sound environment. Thus, a rich, organically developing sonority emerges from the radically reduced playing material of the individual, which, as it were, screws itself up into ecstatic passages. This music is made possible by Ronin's consistent pursuit of an overall dramaturgy, which must be at the expense of individual musical staging [...] So Bärtsch, Jordi, Rast and Sha do not save their desire to make music for the moment of the big solo, but put it permanently into the collective sound." - Florian Bissig, Neue Zürcher Zeitung
"The ritual pull of Bärtsch's Quartet (the pianist's band is now made up of long-time partners Sha, bass clarinet and alto, Thomi Jordi on bass and Kaspar Rast on drums) includes a special understanding of time. [...] the audience as well as the musicians belong to the community of Bärtsch's rituals. Over the years, they have grown together to an unprecedented density, which allows their artfully polymetric art to be experienced like a natural event." - Peter Rüedi, Die Weltwoche
"They’re able to sustain a remarkable level of focus and intensity over extended periods. At 18:19, ‘Modul 60’ is the longest piece the group has recorded to date, and it’s also one of their most exciting, featuring repeated rises and falls and even something like a crescendo. ‘Awase’ is a highly assured album by one of the most interesting groups in European classical/jazz/funk. Ronin have been away too long; it’s good to have them back." - Phil Freeman, Burning Ambulance
"It’s hard to speak of Bartsch’s individual pieces in structural or narrative terms. They’d probably be drained of mystery if a commenter or listener were to exhaustively do so. It’s certainly easier to latch onto other aspects, such as the slow, asymmetrical chanting quality of ‘A’, Bärtsch’s occasional inside-the-piano percussion work in ‘Modul 36’, the beseeching, vaguely Arabic intimations during ‘Modul 60’, the jump cut that leads into the exultantly funky and polyrhythmic ‘Modul 34’, and the slow, airy start of ‘Modul 59’ and the grinding, bass-clarinet-enhanced groove that materializes from it before spiraling in intensity. Sonically, the album could not be more lucid, which is as it should be given that clarity and exactitude are key to Bärtsch’s music. I would feel deprived if I listened to nothing but Bartsch’s oeuvre day in, day out. But at the same time, it makes me listen and engage with music in a different way, perhaps even meditatively so, and makes me hear other music differently when I return to it. That’s something of a gift, I think." - Peter Hum, Ottawa Citizen
"The title of the new album ‘Awase' sets the direction: a term from the Japanese martial art Aikido, which describes the confluence of energies. As a result, the 'new' Ronin is more light-footed, not least because Jordi, in contrast to his often solid predecessor Björn Meyer, concentrates on the classical role of the bass player as an accompanist and thus gives the piano more air. The band is still working with Bärtsch's modules, this time five in number and up to 18 minutes long. As a novelty, Sha contributes his own composition ('A'). And they are still mastering the art of harmonic and rhythmic shifting, but in 2018 they are even more differentiated and varied than in the years of Sturm und Drang." - Reinhard Köchl, Jazzthing
"‘Awase‘ is another superb and cohesive disc that higlights Bärtsch’s and his sidemen’s outstanding musicianship and artistic vision." - Hrayr Attarian, All About Jazz
"All in all, this results in this rock-solid compactness, which is full of tiny chisels and unfolds powerfully and massively to the hypnotic. At the same time, it maintains a transparency that makes joint progress comprehensible and plausible. Old and new modules complement each other on an impressively consistent energy level, which has its roots in the constant working together." - Ulrich Steinmetzger, Leipziger Volkszeitung
"This being their first album since 2012’s ‘Live’ and the first studio album since ‘Llyrìa’ the year before, the sonic footprint Ronin had indeed dwindled somewhat, since replacing Björn Meyer’s 6-string bass guitar with Thomy Jordi’s four string guitar and percussionist Andi Pupato departed with no replacement at all. That left a quartet with also Bärtsch on piano, Sha on bass clarinet/alto sax and Kaspar Rast on drums. None of that has made Ronin incomplete in the least. The originators of ‘ritual groove music’ remain focused on that mission, but this in a band in gradual but perpetual transition and the strategy might not manifest itself on the first or even second listen but when it does, that ‘a-ha!’ moment is always rewarding. So, Jordi might not be as much of a natural ‘lead guitar’ bassist as Meyer but he can weave himself deeper into Bärtsch’s elaborate tapestries. Extra percussion can come from unconventional places, such as from knocking on panel of a piano or puffing on a reed, and nothing is lost from doing so. […] It’s a somewhat revamped Ronin, but Nik Bärtsch saw opportunity with those changes and exploited them. ‘Awase’ can move both your mind and your soul but the deceptively fresh approach it takes to get under the skin like that is the brilliance of Bärtsch and his Ronin quartet. If you don’t get it on the first listen, put on some headphones and take it for another spin; I’m sure glad I did." - S.Victor Aaron, Something Else Reviews
"Swiss pianist-composer Nik Bärtsch has been injecting electronica and minimalism with soul, jazzy hipness and danceable bounce with his Ronin Ensemble since 2001, and ‘Awase’ – with bass recruit thomy Jordi adding a new fluidity – deepens the group’s famous expressiveness of tone and texture." - John Fordham, The Guardian Online
"‘Awase’ having a quartet version of Ronin in tow, brings a sense of more space and freedom for each band member to make micro movements within the often striking almost machine like precision they execute. The micro movements allow for subtle changes in the tonality and texture that much minimalist music reveals over time, but there is still a quite organic almost improvised feeling. […] ‘Awase’ and Bärtsch’s utterly singular concept of ritual groove music, which is sometimes exercised for days at a time is nothing less than compelling and hypnotic. The group has little to do with ‘jazz’ in the traditional sense of the word, but the spirit and adventure of jazz is in every note." - CJ Shearn, Jazz Views with CJ Shearn
"Pianist Nik Bartsch occupies a unique spot in music. The Swiss bandleader/composer’s work with his long-running band Ronin is jazzy, but not quite jazz; heavily influenced by contemporary classical music, but not that, either; subtly funky, but definitely not funk. Bartsch calls it ‘ritual groove music,’ which is a pretty open-ended way to describe anything. Suffice to say that Bartsch’s work makes a virtue of not fitting under an umbrella, especially on Ronin’s eight album ‘Awase’. […] Unafraid to show their skills, yet decidedly unflashy, Bartsch and his musicians put all of their energy into supporting the tunes themselves, rather than set up showcases. That makes ‘Awase’ an album with a resonance outside of the jazz atmosphere, but without the scent of any compromise whatsoever. No mean feat, and one that helps make Ronin its own distinctive beast." - Michael Toland, Blurt
"Of minimalist tendencies, but a hell of a lot more funky and slinky than the stiff metronomics of Philip Glass and Steve Reich, it even sounds somewhat jazzy at times, although, apart from a section in the wistful ‘Modul 60’ which features a free-flowing, expressive alto saxophone solo from Sha (aka Stefan Haslebacher), it is hard to tell whether there is any improvisation. Even that solo in ‘Modul 60’ could be fully composed. Nik Bärtsch builds up his compositions organically, out of simple motifs that gradually accrue layers of material until a high level of melodic and rhythmic complexity is reached. […] Simply put, ‘Awase’ means the blending of things, and that’s a good description of how Ronin functions. It’s a tight-knit unit, collectively strong, so much so that at times I stopped noticing which instrument was doing what and just listened to the music as a thing in itself. […] Despite Bärtsch’s immemorable titles (apart from one excellent piece by Sha, all are numbered ‘Moduls’), the compositions have tons of character. They’re atmospheric, propulsive and often dazzling displays of rigour and group interplay." - Brian Marley, London Jazz News
"Thomy Jordi on bass and Kaspar Rast on drums play a significant part in the partly driving, partly circling groove. The bass clarinet and alto saxophone by Stefan Haslebacher, a ronin under the stage name 'Sha' since 2003, come into their own this time. With 'A' there is also a piece by him for the first time, a fine independent structure that nevertheless mediates between modules 58 and 36 – because the album does not function as a collection of individual works, but is a work sample and an overall experience in one. One of the most exciting jazz releases of the year so far, five stars both for the pithy, flowing music here and for the excellent sound." - Jens-Uwe Sommerschuh, Saxon Newspaper
"A dedicated martial arts practitioner, Bärtsch’s work embodies a graceful economy of movement combined with the rapid and often unexpected transference of energy from one body to another. Drummer Kaspar Rast’s extrasensory beats accent and underpin breathtaking exchanges between Sha’s sinuous woodwind and saxes and bassist Thomy Jordi’s kinetic pulses. Filled with dynamic themes, these dovetailing syncopations might sound cerebral but Ronin’s music is intensely physical, with a punchy groove that’s irresistible. Not a solo insight, this is the sound of four people moving as one. If their back catalogue is a treasure chest spilling over with glittering jewels, ‘Awase’ is their most spectacular gem to date." - Sid Smith, Prog
"Nik Bärtsch is taking his radical yet accessible sound research to a new climax with ‘Awase’. - Claudius Grigat, Chrismon
"At times you’ll hear echoes of Steve Reich or King Crimson (notice the interlocking odd-time passages throughout ‘Modul 58,’ for example), but mostly what you hear is instantly recognizable as Bärtsch and only Bärtsch. Sometimes hypnotizing, often funky, and sometimes brilliantly disorienting, this is utterly unique and deeply beautiful music." - Rick Anderson, CD Hotlist
"The close-knit community that Ronin forms is probably nowhere more evident than on ‘Modul 58’, the longest piece of the album at 18 minutes: a five-piece and a seven-piece rhythm seemingly work against each other and create a pulsating groove in their simplicity, which seems to persist even in places where drummer Kaspar Rast is suspended. Bass clarinetist Sha, who contributed a piece to the repertoire for the first time with 'A', is inextricably linked with piano and bass – who would have thought that this band could even increase its high quality. Magical." - Rolf Thomas, Jazz Aesthetics
"Pianist Nik Bärtsch’s Ronin trim their sails and sharpen their already laser-like focus on ‘Awase’, the combo’s first studio release in eight years. Slimming down to a quartet appears to have only intensified Ronin’s near-telepathic discipline and their unique triangulation of chamber minimalism, jazz improvisation and crown-chakra funk." - Richard Gehr, Relix
"It’s been six years since the last release form Nik Bärtsch’s Ronin, but ‘Awase’ is a welcome return to familiar form. […] The new disc also sees the departure of percussionist Andi Pupato, leaving it a trim piano quartet; subdued drums in the back; grounded four-string electric bass replacing the melodic six-string; and the leader commanding less of the spotlight than on past outings. […] The album opens with the fleeting ‘Modul 60’, feeling like a prologue before the credits kick in. But once the story gets moving, it’s exhilarating. From start to finish, it’s a compelling album." - Kurt Gottschalk, Downbeat
"Bärtsch’s signature resources – built on looping, Steve Reichian minimalist figures, layered with brooding North-Euro sax murmurs and ingenious polyrhythmic accumulations, varied by breakouts into catchy jazz-funk – remain hypnotically present on ‘Awase’ (it’s a martial arts term from aikido, which Bärtsch practices), but much of the set has an exuberant and open feel that this meticulous, unflinchingly disciplined artist’s studio work has sometimes lacked. […] As is always said of Nik Bärtsch in jazz contexts, don’t expect quirky improv or storming post-bop solos, but his jazz and rock-inflected ‘ritual music’ always exerts its own kind of mesmerising pull." - John Fordham, Jazzwise

• Nik Bärtsch, piano
• Sha, bass clarinet, alto saxophone
• Thomy Jordi, bass
• Kaspar Rast, drums