Record Reviews

JORGEN KROGER MATHISEN ~ COLLETT COLLECTIVE SMEIK 211 (Barcode: 612608050471) ~ NORWAY ~ Jazz-Rock Fusion Recorded: 2020 Released: 2021 This is the debut album by Norwegian Jazz violinist / composer Jorgen Kroger MathisenFind albums by this artist recorded with a core ensemble comprising of guitarists Martin NodelandFind albums by this artist and Arne Martin NyboFind albums by this artist, well-known pianist Olga KonkovaFind albums by this artist, bassist Alexander HoholmFind albums by this artist and drummers Lars TaklaFind albums by this artist and Raymond LavikFind albums by this artist as well as a large group of supporting musicians, with appear on selected tracks, which includes the exceptional vocalist Karoline WallaceFind albums by this artist. The album presents six original compositions, all by the leader (assumedly, as nothing is stated on the album’s artwork about it, or even the fact that he plays the violin. The recording date is also missing, the track counter insists on seven tracks and the album is a CD-R – the SmeikFind albums on this label record label is just starting, hopefully learning on the fly). The music moves between highly melodic mainstream Jazz and Jazz-Rock Fusion and flirts with Prog and Folklore. The melodies are very lyrical and somewhat melancholic, but the music flows coherently and offers a good variety of moods and a pleasant listening experience. The instrumental performances are all excellent, with splendid harmonic accompaniment by Konkova and fiery guitar work, which pulls the music towards Fusion. The leader plays acoustic violin, which adds a nice romantic touch to the proceedings and round up the overall sound. Overall, this album reflects the strength of the young Norwegian Jazz scene, which is flourishing in the last decade and these well-educated and highly talented musicians will be the future leaders of the pack. The album offers excellent music and great performances, and is definitely worth checking out!

Updated: 05/09/2021Posted: 05/09/2021

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PAST PRESENT & TORTUSA ~ ETERNAL RETURN JAZZLAND 34 (Barcode: 687437792359) ~ NORWAY ~ Avant-Garde Jazz Recorded: 2017 Released: 2019 This is the debut album by Norwegian trio comprising of the Jazz duo Past PresentFind albums by this artist– trumpeter Simen Kiil HalvorsenFind albums by this artist and bassist Alexander HoholmFind albums by this artist – and electronics / live sampling artist TortusaFind albums by this artist. The album presents three extended tracks, co-credited to the three participants. The music is a unique mixture of Improvised Jazz Music and ambient outings, which create together layers of hypnotic soundscapes, which lack focus but offer a continuous aural experience, which can be followed attentively. Except for the trumpet voicing, this music has almost nothing to do with Jazz per se, in the conventional meaning of the idiom, but it might be one of the many contemporary Avant-Garde Jazz explorations, which European musicians are undertaking in order to push the boundaries of the genre. For most conventional Jazz enthusiasts this music is absolutely weird and perhaps even unlistenable, but the few open-minded and intellectually feverish individuals, this music might be extremely revealing and surprisingly beautiful. In order to develop every Art Form, including music of course, needs experimentation and search for new ways of expression. Without them Culture becomes stagnant, as it happened so many times during human history. This music is exactly such kind of experiment, which is completely unconventional, without destroying the European aesthetics and the Jazz tradition. I warmly recommend this music and hope listeners will give it a proper chance, as it truly deserves it. Many (and perhaps most) Avant-Garde experiments are simply vain forms of masturbation, which have no purpose except self satisfaction of those involved in their creation, but this music proves that Avant-Garde is still a risk worth taking.

Updated: 26/10/2019Posted: 08/10/2019

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PAST PRESENT & ANDREW D`ANGELO ~ SHORT PIECES HEVHETIA 0148 (Barcode: 8588005258098) ~ NORWAY ~ Free Jazz / Improvised Music Recorded: 2018 Released: 2018 This is the debut album by a collaboration between the Norwegian duo Past PresentFind albums by this artist, comprising of trumpeter Simen Kiil HalvorsenFind albums by this artist and bassist Alexander HoholmFind albums by this artist, and American saxophonist Andrew D`AngeloFind albums by this artist. Three guest musicians: pianists Pete RendeFind albums by this artist and Elias StemesederFind albums by this artist and drummer Jim BlackFind albums by this artist appear on selected tracks. The album presents ten original improvised pieces, all unusually short (under four minutes in duration) credited to the participating musicians. The music is surprisingly very melodic, especially in view of its improvisational nature, with the Nordic melancholy omnipresent. The melody lines are often stated and soon after left to reverberate before the improvisation takes over. The concept of creating only short pieces of music proves to be successful in this case, as Improvised Music more than often suffers from overstated and in the long run repetitive exploration leading nowhere, which is completely avoided in this case. Perhaps the idea is based in the minimalist approach, which simply puts forward a musical idea and than lets the listener to fill the blanks. One way or another these short pieces stimulate curiosity and interest, but often leave the listener surprised, when the music is unexpectedly over. Overall this is a very interesting Improvised Music / Free Jazz statement, which manages to stick to the European aesthetics of non aggressive coexistence, which helps the music to be acceptable to listeners from outside of the relatively closed sphere of Avant Garde aficionados. Definitely worth exploring!

Updated: 17/12/2018Posted: 17/08/2018

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