Stoa (album)

Stoa
Studio album by Nik Bärtsch's Ronin
Released	2006
Recorded	May 2005, Studios La Buissonne, Pernes-les-Fontaines
Genre	Jazz
Length	57:13
Label	ECM ECM 1939
Producer	Manfred Eicher
Nik Bärtsch chronology
Rea (2004) Stoa (2005) Holon (2007)

Stoa is an album by Swiss pianist and composer Nik Bärtsch's band Ronin recorded in France in 2005 and released on the ECM label.^[1]

Reception

Professional ratings
Review scores
Source	Rating
Allmusic	[2]

The Allmusic review by Thom Jurek states "ECM has raised the bar once more by recording and releasing a truly compelling, curious, maddening, and provocative Edition of Creative Musicians with Stoa. Ronin is a band of the future, one that has nowhere to go but out into the sonic stratosphere. Judging by this set, it will be exciting to witness where they go from here".^[2] On All About Jazz Budd Kopmann stated "With no melodies and virtually no harmony, but with plenty of constantly internally clashing rhythm, this music's motivic development pushes you one moment and pulls the next. Whether or not you would call it jazz, its kaleidoscopic nature and simple complexity is riveting. Fabulous".^[3] On the same site John Kelman noted "Stoa is an important album that stands to expand the way we look at the junctures between repetitive motifs, insistent rhythms and form-based improvisation".^[4]

Track listing

All compositions by Nik Bärtsch

1. "Modul 36" - 15:17
2. "Modul 35" - 9:11
3. "Modul 32" - 9:32
4. "Modul 33" - 10:42
5. "Modul 38_17" - 12:30

Personnel

• Nik Bärtsch — piano, electric piano
• Sha - bass clarinet, contrabass clarinet
• Björn Meyer — bass
• Kasper Rast - drums
• Andi Pupato — percussion

References