7 December 2018, Bimhuis Amsterdam. The lights started to be fade, only some blue reflectors are still on. Nik Bärtsch and his band are entering the scene in the public applause. Piano sounds are guiding us though the light and the dark, the clarinet and slightly sounds of drum and bass guitar are opening the door to the cosmic world of Nik’s Ronin. Tonight this universe it’s called AWASE. The room starts to vibrate on their rhythms, slowly and then powerful. Everyone can feel it, almost is that you can breathe silence and then music, again the silence and then music. Delicate notes or stronger notes are playing with our minds and everyone’s heart beats.
This album it’s a new journey through other infinite worlds. Nik’s composition technique and expressiveness can be experienced in each note that’s played by Sha, Thomy Jordi and Kaspar Rast. They say that “awase” meaning of the word its moving together, a term that comes form aikido, and this is what happened… layers of sounds filled the Bimhuis concert hall with togetherness.
I am grateful to experience again the beauty of Nik’s Ronin zen-funk, an unique expression of music that can change you after the first sound. The public was so impressed that their cheering and applause made them come on the scene for more sublime and inspiring sounds. I will say that my 5th concert of Ronin it was like a small piece of the entire universe in one space, in us. Because it’s the end of the year, today in Rotterdam is the last international concert of Ronin, if you will not be there, just take a glimpse and choose your groove on www.nikbaertsch.com.
About Nik Bärtsch & Ronin
Nik Bärtsch is a pianist and composer. Since 1997 he has been the leader of the Mobile Group, including Kaspar Rast, Mats Eser and Sha. Nik founded Ronin, a zen-funk quartet, in 2001 with Kaspar Rast (drums), Thomy Jordi (bass, until 2011 Björn Meyer) and Sha(bass/contrabass clarinet). Between 2002-2012 Andi Pupato was also part of the group. The Ronin project is composed of jazz, funk, classical music or Japanese ritual music, Nik Bärtsch is the creator of an original style called by himself zen-funk.
Author: Liliana Simionescu
Photo: Nik Bärtsch Ronin Facebook