Record Reviews

HUSMO HAV ~ RIPPLES ORA FONOGRAM 146 (Barcode: 7090015631460) ~ NORWAY ~ Jazz-Ambient Fusion Recorded: 2019 Released: 2019 This is the debut album by young Norwegian Jazz quartet led by trumpeter Thomas Husmo LitleskareFind albums by this artist, which also includes keyboardist Marte EbersonFind albums by this artist, bassist Stian Andreas Egeland AndersenFind albums by this artist and drummer Tore FlatjordFind albums by this artist. The album presents six original compositions composed or co-composed by the quartet members. The music is a beautiful Ambient-Jazz exploration, highly original and wonderfully crafted. The sonic vistas created by the keyboards / synthesizers serve as a surface on which the trumpet parts glide majestically, and the entire musical structure moves propelled by the dynamic rhythm section. The music is full of Nordic minimalism and reserved melancholic continuity, which develops slowly, sometimes into an emotional climax and sometimes just dissolves into silence. It could be described as cinematic music, or as the group jokingly calls it "Science Fiction Jazz", but labeling this music is truly banal, as it easily escapes any genre characteristics. In fact this music could be appealing not only to Jazz connoisseurs, but also to Ambient / Electronic Music lovers and even Progressive Rock enthusiasts. Although the quartet´s modus operandi is obviously based on ensemble playing, which is the music´s essence, the individual contributions are all worth mentioning as well. The trumpet, being the easiest identified soloing instrument, provides the melodic anchor of the music, whereas the keyboards purposely stay somewhat in the background, being in charge of the mysticism and atmospheric contents, whereas the rhythm section is in charge of the pulse, which at time is strongly felt and often hardly audible. Overall this is a superb debut album, which offers to the listener a journey into the unknown, without making him feel uncomfortable or confused. This is definitely a piece of music being worth investigating by listeners who enjoy cross-genre explorations and stepping out on the less obvious musical territory. The only drawback here is the extremely short duration of the album (under half an hour).

Updated: 02/10/2019Posted: 02/10/2019

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HUSMO HAV ~ WAVES DUGNAD 030 ~ NORWAY ~ Jazz-Funk Fusion Recorded: 2020 Released: 2021 This is the second album by the Norwegian Jazz quartet Husmo HavFind albums by this artist, led by trumpeter Thomas Husmo LitleskareFind albums by this artist and including keyboardist Marte EbersonFind albums by this artist, bassist Stian Andreas Egeland AndersenFind albums by this artist and drummer Tore FlatjordFind albums by this artist. The album presents five original compositions, three by the leader and one each by Eberson and Andersen. The total playing time of the album is just under 23 minutes, which is even under EP timing, not to mention a full album. The music is a continuation of the path taken on the debut album, but is less contemplative and definitely more straightforward, with simple melodic themes and steady rhythmic background, which overall is way less attractive than the debut and almost touches on danceability. The sound, which features the muffled / husky trumpet and the keyboards producing ambient layers of harmonic atmospheric ambience, backed by the steady work of the rhythm section, still works fine and has a lot of potential, but on this album simply does not takes off to fulfill that potential. The proximity to the late electric Miles DavisFind albums by this artist period is a dangerous and treacherous road, since obviously the Master simply stands alone on that pedestal. Overall, sadly this album does not fulfill the hopes seeded by the debut. Perhaps the release was premature, as the short playing time might suggest, but I still keep my fingers crossed for the next one.

Updated: 19/08/2021Posted: 19/08/2021

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