Review: Marilyn Crispell, Kirk Knuffke, and Thommy Andersson’s ‘Paintbrush’

Paintbrush (Sunnyside, 2026)  is a drumless trio rendered unusually by cornet, bass, and piano. The three artists, pianist Marilyn Crispell, cornetist Kirk Knuffke, and bassist Thommy Andersson are listed as co-equals. Yet, Knuffke remains the main mover and producer, also composing five of the album’s eleven pieces. The trio collaborate on four, and they present Karl Berger’s works for two. Overall, it is a gorgeous, introspective record, immaculate in tone, and inexplicably emotional in terms of its mind wandering result. 

Paintbrush was recorded in early 2024 at engineer Chris Anderson’s Nevessa Production studios near Crispell’s home in Woodstock, New York. But the trio’s origins go back much further. Knuffke and Andersson have been playing together for over a decade. In 2022, Anderssson worked with Crispell, producing percussionist Michala Ostergaard-Nielsen’s The Cave (Ilk, 2025). Knuffke had also long been a fan of Crispell’s work and knew her personally as she often attended performances at the late Karl Berger’s Creative Music Studio in Woodstock. Both were also involved in Berger’s efforts in education and grassroots promotion of the improvising arts.

The album’s tracks follow in the order in which such pieces were born or interpreted. Knuffke takes credit for the four improvisations, all named for different varieties of the paintbrush flower, that begin the program. Opener “Castilleja Miniata” has an overall bell-like quality, truly organic and built on intent listening. Particularly noteworthy is Crispell’s judicious echoing of Knuffke’s lines. For “Castilleja Levisecta” the pianist becomes both a soloist and harmonizer with her masterful use of dynamics causing figures to rise and fall like waves. Things quiet down at the outset of “Castilleja Hispida,” as bells and cornet float over Andersson’s droning bass. Knuffke leads in building intensity with his increasingly soaring notes. Then “Castilleja Linarifolia” hits like a jolt as Knuffke threatens to blow the roof off while Crispell and Andersson use their instruments percussively to create industrial-like sounds. 

Crispell delivers a wonderfully teeming intro to the first of the four collaborative pieces, “Think Without Thought.” Inspired by Berger, it exudes a warmth that is missing from the “colder” initial four tracks. “Brightness” owes to the duo renderings of Knuffke and Andersson. The bassist takes the lead, laying down lines to inspire his triomates. Crispell is primarily in comping mode behind an animated, trilling Knuffke before she forcibly steps out around the four-minute mark. In contrast, on Berger’s “How Am I,” the pianist and cornetist dance together gleefully over Anderrsson’s walking bassline. Berger’s “Sneak Head,” another piece where the trio engages in some light swing, suggests the bluesy angularity of Ornette Coleman. 

Two collaborative pieces follow. “Arms in Hands” features a tricky, winding, twisting melody with Knuffke blowing over Crispell’s echoing fills with Crispell, chime-like and bright. The noirish “A Little More So,” on the other hand, finds Crispell hitting some harsh chords. The final paintbrush contemplation, “Castilleja Chromosa,”  washes that mood away with a warmer, graceful, and calmer exit.

The colors and textures in Paintbrush will soothe any listener. Find a quiet space and get lost in the wondrous strokes this trio leaves for you to experience. 

‘Paintbrush’ is out now on Sunnyside Records. You can purchase it on Bandcamp.