Record Reviews

NIKOL BOKOVA ~ EXPEDITION SOLEIL ET PLUIE 1005 (Barcode: 8785260881669) ~ CZECH REPUBLIC ~ Jazz Recorded: 2023 Released: 2023 This is the 6th album by Czech pianist / composer / bandleader Nikol BokovaFind albums by this artist, recorded with her quartet, which includes guitarist David DoruzkaFind albums by this artist, bassist Martin KocianFind albums by this artist and drummer Michal WierzgonFind albums by this artist. Norwegian trumpeter Gunnar HalleFind albums by this artist guests on a couple of tracks and the sound engineer Jan Bok ValaFind albums by this artist adds some electronics. The album presents nine tracks, all original compositions by Bokova. Bokova continues her “expedition” into various musical universes, this time travelling the furthest from her Classical Music sources, into somewhat ambient vistas, with a set of beautiful compositions, which she weaves splendidly. The sound is more electric than on any of her earlier albums, and even some electronic soundscapes are mixed within the fabric of the music, creating a completely new visage of Bokova. Although obviously the leader behind the music, Bokova steps back as far as soloing is concerned, which is put into the capable hands of Doruzka, who proves again to be one of the most versatile and capable European Jazz guitarist around. His resourcefulness and talent are simply amazing and slowly he managed to create a unique sound and style, which is immediately recognizable. Of course the rest of the team is also brilliant, with Bokova’s clever, soulful and delicate piano parts and superbly crafted rhythm section parts, which comply superbly with the music, which results in a final effect way more than just a sum of its parts. Even the trumpet solos on the two tracks suit the music perfectly with their Nordic atmosphere. Overall, this is a beautiful album, full of deeply melodic tunes, perfectly crafted, and brilliantly executed by a well-chosen team of excellent musicians. I can’t imagine any true lover of sophisticated music not falling in love with this music instantly. The only “snag” is that the album lasts only for slightly over half an hour, and when it ends one longs for more… But good things come in small helpings! Congratulations are in order for another brilliant album, and Bokova’s productivity seems to have no limits. Thank you for the music, my Friend!

Updated: 23/08/2024Posted: 23/08/2024

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GUNNAR HALLE ~ HALLE`S PLANET OZELLA 094 (Barcode: 4038952000942) ~ NORWAY ~ Jazz-Rock Fusion Recorded: 2017 Released: 2019 This is the second album by Norwegian trumpeter / composer Gunnar HalleFind albums by this artist, recorded with a Scandinavian quintet, which includes guitarist Stephan SiebenFind albums by this artist, bassist Putte JohanderFind albums by this artist and two drummers: Knut FinsrudFind albums by this artist and Wetle HolteFind albums by this artist. The album presents nine original compositions, all by Halle. As the lineup suggests, the music is Fusion related, but far from the customary Fusion concepts, concentrating on the trumpet playing with relatively limited accompaniment by the rest of the band. The result is mostly mellow, lyrical and melodic with a heavy (well double drums) sound behind, which is kept well in check. The guitar mostly adds only coloring rather than intensive soloing and the result is somewhat "industrial", which probably is exactly what Halle had in mind. The overall sound is pretty unusual and takes a while to get into, but works very effectively altogether. Halle uses some keyboards and electronics to spice the proceedings and the music is quite interesting, although the short playing time of the album (less than forty minutes) leaves the listener expecting more when the music is over. Somehow this immediately brings on "Heavy Metal Bebop" associations, which means it can´t be bad at all. This is "different" enough to be worth checking out and one never knows what might strike listeners fancy ;)

Updated: 20/09/2020Posted: 20/09/2020

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MEDBOE / ERIKSEN / HALLE ~ THE SPACE BETWEEN LOSEN 151 (Barcode: 7090025831515) ~ NORWAY ~ Jazz Recorded: 2015 Released: 2015 This is the debut album by a trio of Norwegian musicians: guitarist / composer Haftor MedboeFind albums by this artist (who lives in Edinburgh, Scotland), pianist Espen EriksenFind albums by this artist and trumpeter Gunnar HalleFind albums by this artist. This trio is a sized-down version of a quintet, which features these musicians as well and which released a live album recently. This album presents seven original compositions, all by Medboe. The music was recorded at the renowned Castlesound Studios near Edinburgh and the resulting sound quality is spectacular. The music is strikingly melodic, with a clear emphasis on the beauty of melody and harmony, the two most basic elements of music, that strangely are almost completely absent from what is considered as music these days. Its relationship with Jazz is very subtle, more hinted that actually present up front. Although the parts are partly improvised, but the improvisation never actually leaves the basic melody from sight and leaves the motifs plainly audible. Although the music was composed by Medboe, his part in its performance is relatively limited. Most of the time the music is carried by the piano / trumpet duo, with the guitar, often heavily synthesized, enters for a brief statement or solo and then stays well in the background if at all present. This of course is by no means accidental and is obviously a part of the entire concept. The album´s title is therefore completely appropriate in relation to its contents. Few people realize of course, that playing very melodic and seemingly uncomplicated music and make it fascinating is infinitely more difficult than playing fierce displays of neck-breaking pseudo virtuosity. These musicians are simply masters of the "cool", where less means more and nothing is played which does not organically belong to the music. Obviously this music sounds Scandinavian, or even Nordic. The contemplative, melancholic and lyrical statements put forward by these musicians are inevitably a part of their collective consciousness, but the ability to be able to connect to this amazing music by people from outside their native Culture, means that they have the gift of making it completely universal. Overall this album if full of majestic, deeply moving music, which resonances in the listener´s mind for a long time after silence takes over. The minimalism, elegance, panache and yes, amazing talent of these musicians are a blessing in a world in which our species are losing the Titanic struggle for humanity. Thank you all for this gift of music!

Updated: 16/02/2016Posted: 16/02/2016

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