Aros – Train Song (2004) [SACD / Songlines Recordings – SGL SA 1546-2]
Title: Aros – Train Song (2004)
Genre: Jazz
Format: MCH SACD ISO + DSF DSD64 + Hi-Res FLAC
Aros, an Amsterdam-based sextet co-led by Canadian saxophonist Rob Armus and Austrian pianist Marion von Tilzer, blends American jazz, European classical, new music, and tango influences in their 2004 album Train Song, their first North American release, recorded in vibrant DSD sound. Featuring a lineup of trumpet, sax, violin, bass, cello, and piano, the album spans heartfelt lyrical moments to soul jazz vamps, with complex rhythms like the 12/8 melody against 11/8 accompaniment in “Song of the Heart” or interlocked 5 and 6 rhythms in “30.” Armus’ jazz roots shine in danceable tracks like “Tango” and Glass-like arpeggios, while von Tilzer’s classical background drives the standout “Ostinato,” building from a modest piano figure into a forceful, layered soundscape. Despite occasional improvisational bursts from Armus and trumpeter John Korsrud, many tracks lean cerebral, prioritizing intricate rhythms over exuberant grooves, leaving listeners wishing for moments where Aros might simply charge forward like the locomotive suggested by the album’s title.