Calling their first vinyl album »Greatest Hits« may seem a bit daring at first glance. In the case of Groupshow, though, composed of Hanno Leichtmann, Andrew Pekler and Jan Jelinek, the evocative title could well apply, given that the trio present their personal titbits, which were created between 2005 and 2018, both at concerts and in the studio. The spirit of spontaneous experimentation and free improvisation is everywhere: The elements of percussion, guitar and electronics interweave again and again, fascinating and surprising, the sound thickens in some places (»Not Your Ordinary Blanket«) only to provide transparency with minimalism in others. Breaks and abrupt changes of direction are not concealed but exhibited. This allows the loose structures and their permutations to become audible and the installation character of the tracks to become clear. They do not adhere to a particular dramaturgy, but instead represent a succession of spontaneous ideas, whereby the sensitive reaction both to the previously created sound and to the ideas of the fellow musicians is elevated to the highest formal principle. It’s worth it, because these ten tracks, which have emerged since the Groupshow live versions of Jan Jelinek’s album »Cosmic Pitch«, make it possible to directly witness the emergence of a musical thought and its immediate expression.
Related Features
Records Revisited: Jan Jelinek – Kosmischer Pitch (2005)
Column
Jan Jelinek picks 10 records that have influenced, enhanced and educated him.
List, Portrait
Greatest Hits
