Sometimes an instrumental jazz album, in this case by a piano trio coming out of left field, can knit together far more cohesively if constructed around a theme. There is an abundance of that kind of glue trickling down on ‘Ghosts,’ because the unity relates to a number of factors. There is the literal sense in which ghosts are present in the subject matter, mood or atmosphere of these songs. It is an album largely made up of interpretations of other people’s material, opening with George Gershwin’s ‘I Loves You Porgy’ and traveling across a vast terrain of disparate sources; we hear work throughs of Nick Cave’s ‘Hand Of God’, ‘Ghosts’ by David Sylvian and Timber Timbre’s ‘Beat The Drum Slowly’ all of which sit comfortably alongside traditional folk waves in ‘She Moved Through The Fair’ and a nod to jazz heritage with Duke Ellington’s ‘In A Sentimental Mood’. Sat in between are some Michael Wollny originals such as the dramatic ‘Hauntology,’ bringing a binding effect on all the titles presented in this collection.

But this is not the only way in which ghosts are present. There is also Wollny’s personal relationship to the music itself, which he has described as being like ghosts that inhabit a place in his head. There must be truth in this because he is able to fully deconstruct these pieces with a jazzers eloquence, diving deep into their very essence and manipulating them to almost breaking point without ever drifting so far from the DNA that they become something unrelated. It does not end there either, as all the music here is played with a mild hint of the ‘hammer horror,’ especially on songs like the title track that invite this kind of treatment, awash as it is with eerily tense chimes of piano string and a doom-laden church organ sound towards the end. The atmosphere remains intentionally spooky all the way, all three of these players tapping into the dark spiritual potential each of their instruments has to offer.

The overriding reason that this is such a great album remains Michael Wollny’s capacity for melodic exploration. His own ‘Monsters Never Breathe’ for instance is built around a deep dewdrop of a tune that needs no audio effects to enhance the melancholy, the tune he picks out on the piano does it all. The same can be said for the heavy play on Franz Schubert’s ‘Erlkonig,’ this is a ferocious piano pounding with a rhythm section matching the adrenaline all the way before the bubble finally bursts and vanishes. Best of all is the version of ‘Willow Song,’ which you may recall as the standout song on the soundtrack to seventies folk-horror film ‘The Wicker Man.’ This was always a haunting piece but indelibly linked to the dampened acid-folk vein atypical of the post-psychedelia UK scene of fifty years ago. Well that is no longer the case, in fact by appreciating that it needed no great gear shift away from the gothic presence already there, Wollny respectfully stays close the vocal melody of the original, stroking his way around the tune proving that less can be more and ‘Willow Song’ was just waiting for a jazz trio to get their hands on it. ‘Ghosts’ is a wonderful album, play it late at night with a bottle of wine under candlelight and this music, not to mention the odd spirit in the air, will definitely speak to you.

Buy a vinyl copy of the album here: https://www.discogs.com/release/24686237-Michael-Wollny-Trio-Ghosts-