Visions of Nar: ‘Awakening’

There is a distinctive groove to ‘Awakening’ from Visions of Nar, combining Armenian folk, contemporary jazz and subtle electronics.

Visions of Nar are Zela Margossian (piano) and Jeremy Rose (saxes) and they are joined for Awakening by Hilary Geddes (guitar) and Bobby Singh (tabla). The tracks are composed by Margossian and Rose individually, but there is a definite sense of collaboration throughout.

Beginning with Cri du Cour, we are introduced gently to the collective, ethereal sound of these musicians, each bringing their own style and tone. The playful The Little Things continues to pit the sax and piano alongside the percussive tabla before the piano opens the truly gorgeous Gorgeous Nothings and the mournful Sweet Sorrow.

A small ensemble this, that nevertheless provides a variety of grooves across Awakening that brings us to the folk-like Let’s Play in the Fields, including some disastrous, complex tabla rhythms.

We are brought into a spirited, energetic groove with Eat Chaos. Rose says of the creativity of this ensemble: “This project has always been about connection, between cultures, between genres, and between musicians. Awakening captures that spirit - it’s music that searches for light.”

Blessings brings a calm before Margossian’s piano opens Don’t Wait to Be Introduced and we’re back into the ethereal, brought into a darkness with In Times Like These. Although Rose is credited as sax player, he’s once more on bass clarinet here, which seems to work brilliantly with the piano/guitar/tabla collaboration.

We end with a regularity and beat to the title track, a dark, sensuous finale to a deeply considered album.

‘Awakening’ from Visions of Nar is available on Earshift Music