Drummer Thomas Strønen has never walked the straight path. Working in everything from ambient to electronic to free improv situations, he’s long made music that revolves around his distinctive spin on the use of rhythm. Relations, his fourth album as a leader for ECM, is no different. Except for a pair of solo performances, each spontaneously composed track pairs Strønen with a friend or fellow traveler, including pianist Craig Taborn, saxophonist Chris Potter, singer/kantele player Sinikka Langeland, and pianist Jorge Rossy (a player normally known for his drums or vibraphone). Potter contributes exotic sax lines on “Weaving Loom” and “Ephemeral,” and Taborn is his usual boundary cracking self on “Pentagonal Garden” and “The Axiom of Equality.” Rossy meanders tastefully across the keyboard on his three tunes, looking into the corners Strønen builds with sedate drumming. But the biggest treats are Strønen’s cuts accompanied by Langeland. Her keening vocal on “Beginners Guide to Simplicity” and her crystalline kantele jangle on “Koyasan” and “Nemesis” make her the perfect foil to the percussionist’s exploratory rhythm quest. Relations is a good record for weekend morning coffee, sedate enough not to disturb the calm, but stimulating enough to kickstart the day.
