From Manchester UK, GoGo Penguin is one of those now numerous acoustic jazz trios that have integrated elements of the IDM movement, trip hop, modern classical music (which is the case with jazz in general) and American minimalism. Privileged above all by small European ensembles (Esbjörn Svenssön, Neil Cowley, Get The Blessing, Phronesis, Rémi Panossian, etc), this amalgam was fresh ten years ago, it is less so in 2020. One of the cardinal virtues of this instrumental approach is the collective language of a small ensemble of piano, double bass, and drums – the common energy conferred by repeated piano motifs with small variations, the fervent support of the double bass and the intense drumming. And so? On GoGo Penguin’s fifth studio album, this adherence to the highly creative musical trends of the ’80s, ’90s, and 2000s is already beginning to run out of steam. Small ornaments add some saving graces, but… roughly speaking, the redundancy of the language announces the end of the golden age for these acoustic trios inclined to the more current waves of Western sound creation. The technical limits of its performers, who are very good musicians without being high-flying virtuosos, become more evident… and it’s time for GoGo Penguin’s creators to integrate new sonic input if they want to remain relevant for the future.
