Baritone saxophonist Gerry Mulligan was one of the first to experiment with a quartet without a piano, without a harmony instrument for the much-needed harmonic structure in the songs. It meant that the 'one' wind player often very subtly provided the harmony under and around the solo of the 'other' wind player and it provided a very light and airy sound overall. That's the first thing I think of when I hear the opening song 'Pelican People' by the trio Pelican Three on their debut album 'Put Your Head In The Radio'. Pelican Three takes a different approach than Mulligan. There is a harmony instrument, Mark Tuinstra's guitar, but no bass or drums. There are two wind players: Iman Spaargaren on saxophone and bass clarinet and Dirk Beets on trumpet. However, due to the absence of the traditional rhythm section, to my ears the same thing happens as with the famous Gerry Mulligan Quartet: the three instruments together spin a delicate fabric in which everything (rhythm, harmony and melody) falls into place. While Mulligan generally keeps it light and airy, Pelican Three goes heavy every now and then. Their music ranges from lyrical chamber music ('Yorke') to raw punk ('Imandi'). This is where the electric guitar comes in handy. It is a tightly knit trio that succeeds every time in spinning that fine musical fabric together. The album title is a reference to the band Radiohead, an important influence on the music of Pelican Three. It is also a small reference to the poor Dutch radio landscape 'where you have to look very hard for some surprising music'. However, we found that surprising music on the Pelican Three album!
Jaap Lampe
Personel:
Iman Spaargaren (tenor saxophone, (bass) clarinet)
Dirk Beets (trumpet)
Mark Tuinstra (guitar)
