Florian Arbenz feat. Bill Frisell and Greg Osby: 'Quiet Lights'

‘Quiet Lights’, the new trio album from drummer Florian Arbenz is an extraordinary work, including as it does Bill Frisell and Greg Osby.

Arbenz’s compositions, drums and percussion bear the additional masterful tinge of Bill Frisell (guitar) and Greg Osby (sax). Together, the trio sounds much more than that, as the guitar and sax weave around each other and around the percussive rhythms of the leader. They sometimes seem so far apart and at others come together in a miraculous feat that comes from listening to each other.

I am reliably informed that almost all of the takes used on the album are first takes - recorded live in just four hours. Arbenz brought in his compositions and the trio together did the rest. Arbenz explains: “After much thought, I decided to create simple, but sound-wise, very defined and slightly unusual settings to fit the sounds of Bill’s guitar and Greg’s sax.”

To take those initial compositions and allow each member of the trio to add their own interpretation is bold - six of the seven tracks are Arbenz’s and the exception is Lueget vo Berg und Tal (Look from Mountain and Valley), a Swiss traditional tune. Considering each musician in the composition process means that these tunes and this experience in the studio brings a unique recording.

The opening track - Homenaje (Tribute) - opens with Arbenz’s drums and percussion before first Osby and then Frisell make their opening Salvo. Delicately and subtly at first as they explore the composition and allow it to flow through their very distinctive musical sounds and styles. I’m not even sure which percussion starts Chant, but it opens a very different door into the souls of these musicians, with gongs and bells signalling a spiritual melody from the sax that evolves as the guitar begins. A truly beautiful track, the end seems to come right when the trio have said all they want to say.

Jammin’ in the Children's Corner (originally written for Dave Liebman) could not be more different, changing tempo and feel again with Lueget vo Berg und Tal (Look from Mountain and Valley) before bringing a groove back with The Barradas Opening. Frisell’s link sets a perfect base for Osby’s sax until they then join for the melody and split off again. Again, this separating and coming together seems totally instinctive.

The title track is the penultimate track and almost the perfect vehicle for this trio to come together and explore melody, rhythm and chords. The exuberant Rhumba brings out Osby’s soprano sax, which seems equally fitting with Frisell’s guitar and Arbenz’s drums and percussion. It then morphs into a buzzy, busy improvisation with electronics and a wonderful descent into silence. I sincerely hope that this was the end of the recording session - it feels like each of these fine musicians had said what they needed to.

‘Quiet Lights’ is out on 29 May 2026 on Hammer Records