omslag 02 2011:omslagsmal.qxd - Jazznytt

UTENRIKS
«Brunborg values space, clarity, intencity and meaning while Taylor has a technique
that is so wedded to taste that everything he plays is worthy of repeated listening.»
I Down Beats marsutgave har man
anmeldt Trondheim Jazzorkesters
plate «Triads And
More» med Eirik Hegdal og
Joshua Redman (MNJ), og her
skriver Yoshi Kato følgende: «This recordings and
at his gigs, saxophonist Joshua Redman has built
up reputation for emerging himself in diverse settings.
Performing unaccompanied? Check. Leading
a quintet with two double bassists and two
drummers? Affirmative. Being a co founding member
of the all-star SFJAZZ Collective? Sure. Still,
few would have anticipated this recording with
Norway’s Trondheim Jazz Orchestra (TJO). Redman
was the artist-in-residence at the 2006 Molde
International Jazz Festival, where he played with
the 12-piece TJO. The parties reunited two years
later for more concerts in Scandinavia as well as a
recording of the works, which were composed by
fellow saxophonist and co-leader Eirik Hegdal.
The orchestra consists of jazz and classical alumni
of the University of Trondheim and currently
fields a guitar-double bass-drums rhythm section
as well as woodwinds, brass and strings.
The centerpiece of «Triads And More» is a fourmovement,
20-plus minute «Blind Marching
Band» suite that kicks off the album and, curiously,
is concluded on the second-to-last track.
«The Opening» commences with Redman’s tenor
assuredly floating over a semi-cacophonous bed of
horns, strings and drums. «Flow Away» mixes a
hearty sax trio passage with Redman and Hegdal
battling it out on tenor and baritone saxophone,
respectively, and superb comping from the rest of
the orchestra. The stunning «Eroiki» features
some of Redman’s most beautiful tenor playing to
date, while on the title track Redman demonstrates
how effortlessly he can stretch - and play – out».
AllAboutJazz sin medarbeider, Jay
Collins, har hørt på Jørn Øiens
plate «Digging In The Dark»
(BOLAGE) og her skriver han:
«Ah, the tried and true piano trio
format. So many, many entrants, so few exceptional
releases. From Norway’s distinc tive Bolage
label, this ten song outing brings forth a consistently
engaging and invigorating trio comprised of
Øien in the company of bassist Per Zanussi and
drummer Torstein Lofthus. A trio capable of
marching on full steam or looking inwards with
melodic beauty, this enticing affair easily keeps
ones interest, and then some.
From the outset, Lofthus proves to be a riveting
barnstormer who is often the centerpiece, demonstrating
his «all that and the kitchen sink» methodology
on the probing opening, «It Shall Be
Obvious,» as well as framing the textural group
rumblings on «The Moment of Truth» or oblique
kitwork on «Nothing To Lose.»
Rest assured that despite the fact that Øien is
greatly indebted to the contributions of his equal
and sensitive partners, Zanussi and Lofthus, Øien
is the prominent draw. With the gift of being able
to engage a listener by gracefully pulling away layers
of each melodic core, Øien’s playing is beautifully
compelling throughout. Distinct examples
include the rich, picturesque hues of «Send In The
Clown,» while Øien also calls forth Jarrett-like
skills on the elegant «Digging In The Dark.»
Speaking of dexterity, «Paradise Blind» is Exhibit
A of his skill set, with an accomplished athleticism
that demonstrates his vibrant technique, though
Øien is equally at home in sparse environs like
«The Tea Is On Me.» With a finale dedicated to
the ECMish beauty of the pastoral «Hymn,» Øien
and his cohorts, certainly not known quantities appearing
on international mar quees, offer a constantly
brilliant record. One of the year’s best that
firmly calls into question what one might consider
a «typical» Jazz piano trio outing».
Jazzwise’s Stuart Nicholson har i
bladets februarutgave bl.a. anmeldt
trioen Meadows (Tore
Brunborg, Thomas Strønen og
John Taylor) plate «Blissful Ignorance»
(EDITION), og gitt
dem fire av fem stjerner. Han skriver bl.a.: «Neither
saxophonist or pianist are celebrated in their
respective homelands in a way that reflects their
enormous artistry, yet in combining their resources
they have created a classic where both musicians
produce some of their finest work on record. Brunborg
values space, clarity, intencity and meaning
while Taylor has a technique that is so wedded to
taste that everything he plays is worthy of repeated
listening. From Brunborg’s opening «Badger»
through to Taylor’s «Ritual», this is ab album of
sublime creativity that will stand the test of time».
En like stor tilhenger av norsk
jazz som Nicholson, er kanadiske
John Kelman, som er en flittig
markedsfører av norsk jazz på
hjemmesiden til AllAboutJazz.
Han har skrevet anmeldelse av
BMX (Njål Ølnes, Per Jørgensen, Thomas T.
Dahl og Øyvind Skarbø) sin plate «Bergen Open»
(NORCD), og her skriver han bl.a. følgende: «The
two-disc «Bergen Open» is predominantly about
collective improvisations - the 47-minute title
track occupies the entire first disc, while the 19minute
«Bergen Open & Closed» finishes off the
second disc. Four shorter pieces by Ølnes range
from the quirky, pulse-driven «Snoopy» to the
more ethereal, «Follow,» a largely subdued tone
poem that’s closer in complexion to Motian’s trio -
especially with Skarbø’s more textural playing and
a temporal flexibility definitive of so many Norwegian
drummers - that captures a sense of Norwegian
folklorism with Dahl’s gentle finger-picking,
that contrasts with Frisell’s atmospheric «Americana».
Dahl is a largely more direct and less effects-driven
player than Frisell which, combined
with Skarbø’s penchant for explicit rhythm, gives
tracks like «Giraffe» real forward motion, though
the guitarist does broaden his soundscape with a
pitch shifter, lending BMX some lower register
oomph.
Ølnes move from gentle lyricism on «The Beauty
of Bath» to greater extremes on «Bergen Open,»
which, like «Bergen Open & Close,» is culled
from studio sound checks remarkable, then, in
their feeling of structure and intent. Jørgensen’s
unfettered but measured abandon throughout the
set is one more reason why this Norwegian icon
deserves greater international acclaim, occasionally
Stuart Nicholson i Jazzwise om Tore Brunborgs
innsats på den nye plata til Meadow
putting his horn down for a darbuka (goblet drum),
or for the same plaintive singing that made his performance
at Tampere Jazz Happening 2010 such a
highlight.
Paul Motian ‘s trio may be at the root of BMX, but
its greater energy, more defined rhythms - groove,
at times, even - and largely less ethereal nature
make «Bergen Open» another late 2010 release
that deserves not be overlooked.»
AllAboutJazz har også tatt
for seg Petter Wettre og
Audun Kleives «The Only
Way To Travel 2»
(HOUSEHOLD
RECORDS), som bare er ute på nettet og på en
original minnepinne. Om dette verket skriver
Mark Corroto følgende: «Saxophonist Petter Wettre
cannot help but draw many references to the
great Sonny Rollins. It’s his sound - a big, warm
voice with muscular articulation. On the download-only
«The Only Way To Travel 2», he teams
up with drummer Audun Kleive, to reprise «Volume
One» (2000), made ten years ago.
With «Medley,» it’s only Wettre’s horn that’s
heard; a transport back to 1959 and the sounds of
someone practicing on New York City’s Williamsburg
bridge. If there were such a thing as a digital
recorder back then, it might just have sounded like
Wettre’s «Medley.» The unhurried saxophonist
travels through a measured journey of «Mob Job»
and «The Blessing,» by Ornette Coleman; «Trinkle
Tinkle» and «Pannonica,» by Thelonious
Monk; «Naima,» by John Coltrane; and Sammy
Fain and Bob Hilliard’s «Alice In Wonderland.»
Wettre’s keypads can be heard engaging, as well as
his breaths, as he seamlessly stitches together the
now-familiar melodies into a thoughtful rumination
on the music of a half a century ago. Gone are
the controversies of the New Thing, and the eccentric
Monk. It may have taken decades, but the
music is now comfort food to those who have survived
the jazz revolution. In the hands of Wettre,
the notes of these songs act as a nourishing repast
of sound.»
Professor Stuart Nicholson har
også vært igjennom Trygve Seim
og Andreas Utnems «Purcor:
Songs for Saxophone and
Piano» (ECM). I Jazzwise skriver
han bl.a. «... and this collection of folk songs, theatre
music, originals and spontaneous improvisations
emerges from what Utnem calls «improvised
church music,» that dates back to the duo’s original
assosiation playing music for church services. Although
Utnem does not have a jazz background,
being a church musician and composer of music
for theatre and TV, his sure sence of melodicism,
phrasing and touch see him ay one with Seim’s
breathy yet warm tone and beautifully sculpted
phrasing. This is music that flies beyond convenient
pigeon-holes, yet its strong improvisational element
and the sensuous way in which melodies are
shaped and re-shaped make this perhaps Seim’s
finest work for the ECM label».