Nozomi [LP]

Masako Ohta & Matthias Lindermayr - Nozomi [LP]

LP version. Pianist Masako Ohta and trumpet player Matthias Lindermayr are back on Squama with Nozomi, the follow-up to their 2022 debut MMMMH. The Japanese title, which translates to hope, felt fitting, as the album was conceived during a time of personal loss for Ohta, during and after which music proved itself as a beacon of hope. The music on Nozomi unfolds gently, with Lindermayrs airy tone and lyrical playing being wrapped in Ohtas chordal backing that moves from tender to tense and back over the course of the album. While most tunes were written by Lindermayr, the only exception being an interpretation of Ryuichi Sakamotos Hibari, the arrangements are largely improvised, letting the duos intuition guide the course and build the form. Solemn slowness has become a signature trait of the Munich-based duo and it makes listening to their new record a healing retreat from the frantic chatter of the present. A1. Hatsuhinode (6:55) A2. Agora (2:39) A3. Ostinato (3:57) A4. Hibari (4:59) B1. Maya (6:55) B2. Shizuku (4:40) B3. Niwa (4:07) B4. Tio (8:04)