Record Reviews

BJORN ALTERHAUG ~ BLAME IT ON MY AGE LOSEN 329 (Barcode: 7090025833298) ~ NORWAY ~ Jazz Recorded: 2025 Released: 2026 This is an album by the Norwegian Jazz bassist / composer Bjorn AlterhaugFind albums by this artist, recorded in a classic Jazz quartet setting with saxophonist Erlend Vangen KongtorpFind albums by this artist, pianist Vigleik StoraasFind albums by this artist and drummer Tom OlstadFind albums by this artist. The album presents ten tracks, four of which are original compositions by Alterhaug, one is by Storaas, and five are standards. Alterhaug, aged eighty at the time this music was recorded, is one of the great Norwegian Jazz veterans, with an extensive career as a musician and educator and a very long list of recordings under his belt. Following a stroke suffered six years earlier, it seemed that his playing days are over, but years of rehabilitation brought him back to shape, as this recording proves, and we can enjoy some more of his wonderful deep tone and precise Jazz feel, which are of course most welcome. The music, a nice mix of originals and standards, is all well behaved modern mainstream, which sounds as good as one might hope for, and offers a great opportunity to enjoy more of the Master’s touch by the leader and well-rounded Nordic Jazz, beautifully performed. Overall, this is a superb tribute to a veteran and much loved Norwegian Jazz Maestro, which can be enjoyed by Jazz lovers the world over, who can at the same time celebrate the generation of the elders, who created modern European Jazz and contributed so much to raise generation of younger players to keep the flame burning.

Updated: 29/04/2026Posted: 26/04/2026

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FREDERIK VILLMOW ~ MOMENTUM LOSEN 278 (Barcode: 7090025832789) ~ GERMANY ~ Jazz Recorded: 2022 Released: 2023 This is the third album by German (resident in Norway) drummer / composer Frederik VillmowFind albums by this artist, recorded in a quintet setting, with Norwegian musicians: pianist Olga KonkovaFind albums by this artist, saxophonists Gisle JohansenFind albums by this artist and Erlend Vangen KongtorpFind albums by this artist and bassist Julian HauglandFind albums by this artist. The album presents nine tracks, all of which are original compositions by the leader and the participating musicians. Two tracks are solo drums improvisations, one is a duo (drums / saxophone) improvisation and another two are trio (drums / piano / saxophone) improvisations, which leaves four fully composed ensemble pieces, including the title track, which are naturally the longest tracks on the album. The music is excellent modern Jazz, melody based to some extent but with a lot of breathing space and freedom, which allows the participants to improvise extensively. The music flows coherently from one track to the next, offering an interesting aural journey, spiced with excellent soloing. As it often happens with drummers’ albums, the level of composition is highly surprising, and this album follows the pattern. Although Villmow is an excellent drummer by all standards, his music goes far beyond just drumming skills, presenting a refined ensemble sound and complex flow of ideas. He is definitely in the center of the performances throughout, but his drumming is certainly not just a showoff of his abilities, but the driving force of the ensemble. The album offers a nice balance between the composed pieces and the solo / duo / trio improvisations, which is easier for the listener to follow than albums dedicated completely to Improvised Music, which can be overbearing. Overall, this is an excellent modern Jazz album, with great compositions and brilliant performances, full of excitement and intelligent exchange of ideas. It offers the European approach to Jazz at its best, and is not actually that much Nordic Jazz oriented, despite its origin. Most warmly recommended!

Updated: 13/05/2023Posted: 13/05/2023

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