Record Reviews

MMO ENSEMBLE ~ LONELY CREATURES ORA FONOGRAM 097 (Barcode: 7090015630975) ~ NORWAY ~ Jazz-Classical Fusion Recorded: 2014 Released: 2016 This is the debut album by Norwegian saxophonist / composer Martin Myhre OlsenFind albums by this artist and his MMO EnsembleFind albums by this artist, which is his platform to present his music projects. The ensemble is an octet and includes also vocalist Kari Eskild HavenstromFind albums by this artist, baritone saxophonist Eirik HegdalFind albums by this artist, violinist Adrian Loseth WaadeFind albums by this artist, guitarist Viljar Dyvik SellevoldFind albums by this artist, Swedish pianist Oscar GronbergFind albums by this artist, bassist Bjorn Marius HeggeFind albums by this artist and drummer Simon Olderskog AlbertsenFind albums by this artist. The music is a concept eleven-part suite composed by Olsen, which he defines as "embracing stories from distant past or future, imaginative beings and fairytales". The album´s artwork suits the above description perfectly. Also melodic and lyrical, the music includes a fair amount of freely improvised passages, which somewhat contradicts the a/m idyllic description of its character. The instrumentation / orchestration of the music causes it to sound like some of the contemporary Classical chamber efforts, but the improvised parts anchor it within the Jazz idiom, creating an interesting cross genre amalgam with a self-defined aesthetics. At times the music also ventures into a "soundtrack mode" or Cabaret music, all being different manifestations of Olsen´s vision as a composer. Strangely enough, although characteristically European, it has no Scandinavian flavors, neither Folklore nor Jazz related, and sounds like something that might have been composed by a German, Austrian or East European composer. This might be the influence of the Trondheim University Music Department, where Olsen and the ensemble members have studied. The individual performances are all top notch. Especially praiseworthy is the usage of the human voice as an instrument, a tendency quite popular lately with young European composers, and the vocalese parts are some of this album´s best moments. But all the instrumentalists also play extended solos and there are plenty of opportunities for personal statements. The rhythm section has a difficult task of keeping the music flowing, especially in view of the fact that most of the tempi are extremely slow. As a result the bass provides an almost metronome like pulse and the drums ornament the music rather than setting the pace. Overall this is a very impressive debut effort, which shows Olsen´s great potential as a composer and the ensemble members as rising young Jazz and beyond musicians. The music is far from being trivial and requires attentive listening and a lot of patience in order to be absorbed properly, with repeated listening session being highly recommended. "Don´t judge the book by its cover" fits the bill perfectly here, as the album is way darker and profound than its exterior. It is heartwarming to hear young European musicians producing work of such quality like this one, which does not swing and is not based on trivial chord progressions, yet nevertheless manages to become challenging, intelligent contemporary Jazz, rather than an echo of ancient and weathered traditions. Well done indeed!

Updated: 10/10/2018Posted: 08/05/2016

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OLE MARIUS SANDBERG ~ ENSEMBLE SKARET 03 (Barcode: 7041882498489) ~ NORWAY ~ Jazz Recorded: 2017 Released: 2018 This is the third album by Norwegian bassist / composer Ole Marius SandbergFind albums by this artist recorded in a quartet setting with saxophonist / clarinetist Eirik HegdalFind albums by this artist, pianist Erlend SlettevollFind albums by this artist and drummer Stein Inge BraekhusFind albums by this artist. Guitarist Thomas T DahlFind albums by this artist guests on four tracks and drummer Steinar KrokstadFind albums by this artist on one track. The album presents seven original compositions, all by Sandberg. The music is modern Jazz with strong Scandinavian ties, full of melancholy and introverted, slowly developing themes. Although melody based the album offers a lot of freedom and open improvisation, contributed mostly by the saxophone and clarinet, which is especially impressive. All the compositions are well structured and offer elegant harmonic structures, which are ideal vehicles for the improvised parts. The level of the compositions is consistently excellent and they are intelligent and emotional at the same time. The level of execution is also very high, with Hegdal being mostly up front weaving his unusual improvisational magic. Slettevoll balances the music with strictly melodic chords structures and graceful solos. Sandberg steers the music forward and keeps the flow with his strong bass structures and Braekhus adds the rhythmic layer subtly and with great sensitivity. The four tracks featuring Dahl definitely benefit from his contribution. Overall this is an excellent European Jazz / Scandinavian Jazz album, which should make all modern Jazz fans happy, regardless of their location. It shows the versatility and ingeniousness of contemporary European Jazz scene, which refuses to stand still and keeps constantly reinventing the idiom. Highly recommended!

Updated: 20/02/2018Posted: 20/02/2018

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