Reissue of Bugge Wesseltoft's classic 2009 solo album 'Playing', an album of rich sound, texture and colour that showcases his more light hearted "trickster" side, after the deep intensity of its predecessor 'IM'. Contemplative piano solo pieces like the title track "Playing" and "Talking To MySelf" (Parts 1 & 2) gracefully glide between playful original compositions like "Singing" and "Hands", both featuring vocals by Bugge himself, in the traditions of "Somewhere In Between" and "Come On Buddy (You Got Green Light)". "Hands" propels a blues groove through John Cage's music room on a journey to Professor Longhair's lunar New Orleans. The willingness to embrace technology as part of the solo pianist's armoury is apparent throughout, but makes a dramatic appearance in Bugge's unique rendering of the Dave Brubeck classic "Take Five", transforming a jazz standard through the use of dub effects. The centrepiece of the album is the two-part "Talking To Myself", a truly remarkable diptych spanning over 20 minutes. The two pieces display Bugge's remarkable skill with the pure and unadorned acoustic piano, and are intense while remaining accessible. Possibly some of the most beautiful music Bugge has ever produced.
