Record Reviews
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  | ANDERS HAGBERG ~ WITH HOPE
PROPHONE 369 (Barcode: 822359004443) ~ SWEDEN ~ Jazz
Recorded: 2023 - 2024 Released: 2025
This is an album by Swedish flautist / saxophonist / composer Anders HagbergFind albums by this artist, recorded in a quartet setting with Swedish bassist Johannes LundbergFind albums by this artist, Finnish keyboardist Joona ToivanenFind albums by this artist and Norwegian drummer Helge Andreas NorbakkenFind albums by this artist. The album presents eleven tracks, eight of which are original compositions by Hagberg, two are arrangements of Ukrainian Folk songs and one is an arrangement of a Classical piece by Francis PoulencFind albums by this artist. The music was recorded by Lundberg, who is also a sound engineer, and offers a beautiful sound quality and ambience.
The music is beautifully melodic and melancholic, full of Scandinavian mysticism and many Folkloristic themes, which blend perfectly with the Jazzy improvisations. All the musicians perform splendidly and support Hagberg’s impressive soloing amicably and creatively.
In his liner notes printed in the album’s artwork, Hagberg mentions the sadness and misery that surrounds us presently, a time which shows the cruelty of the human nature, rather than its beauty. These feelings are perfectly reflected in the music, which also might perhaps serve as a soothing element. Individually, people have very little effect on their life’s circumstances and the world that surrounds them, with Art, music included, being one of the few remedies we are able to apply to face our destiny. This music definitely can serve as such a remedy, with its intrinsic beauty and comforting, relaxing nature, for which we can only be thankful.
Overall, this is a wonderful piece of music, full of beautiful melodies, heartfelt performances and a calming embrace. Although it is improvised and far from trivial, it is certainly very communicative and universal, which makes it accessible to a wide range of listeners, not necessarily strictly from the Jazz loving circles. Well done and warmly recommended!
| | Updated: 01/10/2025Posted: 01/10/2025 | CD 1 Digipak Recommend To A Friend |
  | ORTALION ~ TRI-TONES
AUDIO CAVE 2020/006 (Barcode: 5908298549032) ~ POLAND ~ Avant-Garde Rock
Recorded: 2019 Released: 2020
This is the third album by Polish ensemble OrtalionFind albums by this artist, which comprises of keyboardist Cezary MorawskiFind albums by this artist, drummer Piotr MajkaFind albums by this artist, bassist Jacek BrzeziewiczFind albums by this artist, percussionist Jacek StromskiFind albums by this artist (in charge of samplers), saxophonist Marcin OtlowskiFind albums by this artist and trumpeter Robert JakubiecFind albums by this artist. Graphics / visuals artist Rafal ChomikFind albums by this artist is also listed as an ensemble member. Vocalist Mamadou Goo BaFind albums by this artist guests occasionally. The album presents seven original compositions (one in three parts), six of which are by Morawski and one by Brzeziewicz.
The music is an original amalgam of many contemporary Rock / Electronic / Ambient music trends, creating highly atmospheric vistas. In most cases the music is based on heavy hypnotic, repetitive riffs, with electronic keyboards spreading a cascade of eerie sounds on top. The brass instruments are sadly rarely audible, which is a pity since they could have added much more diversity and variety within the music. The few improvised solos by Otlowski and Jakubiec are definitely the highlights of the entire album.
The last track on the album offers an interpretation of a piece by the French modern composer Francis PoulencFind albums by this artist, which is completely different from the rest of the material, and which offers a glimpse of creative approach, being highly effective and perhaps most successful herein.
Overall this is a very enjoyable Alternative Rock album, which shows a lot of potential but lacks the spark to make it truly outstanding. I enjoyed the music while it lasted, but it left hardly any long lasting impression. But of course this is just my feeling and many listeners surely can find this much more exciting. People interested in Polish Alternative Rock should definitely check this out!
| | Updated: 24/05/2020Posted: 24/05/2020 | CD 1 Digipak Recommend To A Friend |
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