VINIL Edition Phronesis: We Are All

2018

Jasper Hoiby - contrabas
Ivo Neame - pian
Anton Eger - tobe

Phronesis have been one of the most talked about and acclaimed European bands during the past decade. And for good reason. Over seven studio and live albums, the trio have built a world-wide reputation for the melodic fluency of their writing, muscular, bold sound and visceral, highly kinetic musical interplay. They have also gained a considerable live following for the excitement of their energetic life-affirming performances.

We Are All, the band’s eighth and newest studio album, offers plenty of emotional range and musical richness both for committed Phronesis fans and new listeners alike. But in its title and scope, it also seeks to focus attention on an important message of togetherness and balance beyond the one they demonstrate on the bandstand. The trio aim to shine a light on the interconnectedness of all living species and the responsibility we hold as human beings to coexist in harmony with our environment, and to protect the beauty, fragility and welfare of our planet, and each other.

“More than ever before, we feel we have a responsibility to use whatever influence we have to voice environmental, political and social concerns, and use our creativity to raise awareness, to prompt discussion and to share a message, hopefully as a force for good. The history of civilisation is often told in terms of the struggle for power between nations and competition between those nations over resources. The question is whether humans will have the ability to cooperate with each other in the future; whether we will have the capacity to “love our neighbours” regardless of differences of race, religion and gender, and love and protect our planet in spite of the ravages of corporate capitalist society.”

Neame’s polyrhythmic and polymorphic ‘Matrix for D.A.’ references writer Douglas Adams, whose assessment of the state of humanity in his foreword to ‘The Hitchhiker’s Guide to the Galaxy’ is still as humorously profound as it was almost 40 years ago.

Eger’s ‘The Tree Did Not Die’ is a message of hope and musical tribute to the Redwoods of Muir Woods, California and the trees’ ability to create a new generation through their root systems even when damaged or destroyed. The tune is rooted in the trio’s acoustic sound world, but it too branches out into new sounds.

Høiby’s ‘Breathless’ speaks for itself – reflecting both our wonder at the natural world and the toll humanity is taking on natural resources, which are the very breath of life.

The late, great Stephen Hawking gave humanity the following advice: “We will not establish self-sustaining colonies in space for at least the next hundred years, so we have to be very careful in this period.” We can interpret this to mean that we must find unity in the face of adversity; the collective survival of the species depends on peace on our planet. “We Are All” is a paean to that peace.