Two Jazz Songs in the Wind

Recently, I've been drawn to the Esbjorn Svensson Trio's jazz 2003 jazz album Seven Days of Falling, thanks to a sample used by Kendrick Lamar in his song "How Much a Dollar Cost". I'd like to highlight two tracks from the album worth noting.

First, the quiet, understated opener "Ballad for the Unborn" features a meandering piano that's headed somewhere, painting landscapes that are both musically interesting and emotionally evocative. I found myself wandering down a trail, fascinated by the paths that the piano took. Sometimes it retraced its steps. Sometimes it didn't. Barely noticeable cymbal flushes come through, as the song picks up a degree of crescendo toward's its conclusion. A fuzzy, big bass looms in the background, but the piano remains as the leader of the pack. 

"O.D.R.I.P", the albums conclusion, starts on a sharp note. The drums and bass make themselves immediately known, slanting sideways, only to have the piano throw us back to level ground. It is this juxtaposition that carries the song into epic territory, in its own, modest sense.