Kósmos

Averno

May 19, 2023

Release: May 19, 2023

The jazz world often feels the need to divide ensembles and musicians with language including ‘bandleader’ and ‘sideman’, but Italian trio Kósmos proves they have no use for such terms. Their collective approach to music making and anti-hierarchical trio returns with ‘Averno’, set to release on May 19th.

Coming together almost a decade ago in their hometown of Naples, the trio share a common love for the introverted, spacious, European sound that they’ve become known for.

Their respective careers as solo artists then separated them across the continent, all becoming in demand performers and recording musicians across Italy, Sweden, Portugal and more.

Their upcoming album follows their 2019 debut ‘Back Home’, a collection of reworkings of legendary pianist Lennie Tristano, released on popular Italian Jazz magazine Jazzit’s own record label. It was through the development of this music that the trio honed their ability to deconstruct musical forms, and build them back into what they describe as a “living organism”.

Named after a lake in Bacoli, Italy, which in ancient times was believed to be the entrance to the underworld and the reign of Hades, ‘Averno’ is a collection of original compositions united by their melancholic, contemplative, ECM-esque tone. Folk-tinged melodies, dark harmony and mesmeric passages of pulse-less texture provide the listener with hypnotic mental imagery of the album’s namesake.

Rooted equal parts in jazz tradition and European classical music, each member of the trio contributed compositions to form this body of work. Thoughtfully arranged and highly melodic, the trio’s fearless approach to improvisation and collective approach to music making takes the spotlight. Their sound doesn’t feel piano-centric as is often the nature of trio records; each instrument feels equally represented, with egoless ensemble musicianship and nuanced interplay providing a refined perspective on the traditional trio format.