Arctic Riff is the first recorded meeting between the Polish Marcin Wasilewski Trio and the American tenor saxophonist Joe Lovano. The programme mixes new tunes by Wasilewski and Lovano, two readings of Carla Bley's classic Vashkar, and four collective improvisations credited to all four players. Lyricism and strength sit in close balance, and the trio's long-held ensemble sense leaves the guest plenty of room without ever turning into simple accompaniment.
Wasilewski, bassist Sławomir Kurkiewicz and drummer Michał Miśkiewicz have played together since the 1990s. They were the rhythm section of Tomasz Stańko's quartet on Soul of Things before recording for ECM under their own name. Lovano arrived a year after his own ECM debut as a leader. The quartet recorded in August 2019 at Studios La Buissonne in Pernes-les-Fontaines, with Gérard de Haro as engineer and Manfred Eicher as producer.
The opening Glimmer of Hope, a Wasilewski ballad, was written with the saxophonist in mind. Wasilewski has said he "was very curious to hear how it would sound with Joe's tone." The nine-minute Cadenza goes the other way. Lovano trades fragments of melody with bass and drums, then the piano sets off a dense free passage before the music settles into an uneasy calm. Bley's tune appears twice, first as a subdued reading with the piano in front and Lovano entering halfway, then as a freer variation that the saxophonist opens. Kurkiewicz's bowed bass carries the short improvisation Arco, and Lovano's own On the Other Side is busy and angular. The title hints at the northern light of this music, yet the warmth of Lovano's sound keeps it far from chilly.
Critics picked up on the contrast between the ballads and the open pieces. John Fordham of The Guardian called it "an ethereal, tonally luxurious meeting of hearts and minds." Writing in JazzTimes, Thomas Conrad heard "a sense of power in reserve, as if a champion weightlifter is painting watercolors." Robert Ham in DownBeat noted that Lovano plays on all eleven tracks yet picks his spots with notable restraint, and Chris Pearson of The Times found that the untamed improvisations impress most.
CD edition, ECM 2678, released in June 2020.
