release date: 25.10.2024 on Rune Grammofon
Five years ago, Elephant9 released two double live albums, Psychedelic Backfire I and II, the latter with guest guitarist Reine Fiske, whose favourite guitarist happened to be Terje Rypdal. With both albums out of print, Catching Fire is a most welcome addition to their discography. Recorded at a remarkable concert from 2017 in Oslo, Rypdal would turn 70 later in the year.
David Fricke makes some interesting references to classic live albums in his liner notes, and we would like to add King Crimson´s underrated USA and numerous Pink Floyd 1970 live bootlegs into the equation, sharing the common energy level and sense of untamed intensity. That said, there are also stretches of calm at play here, especially in the 22-minute opener where Rypdal introduces himself with some trademark, glacier melodic lines. Rypdal is on fire throughout, adding some fierce rhythm work and abstract acrobatics from his toolbox.
Ståle and Terje are sometimes so interlocked that its difficult to tell them apart. This is partly because the album is mixed to get a sense of being at the concert, by not overly trying to separate them, but primarily due to a common understanding stemming from Ståle being the guitarist´s “right hand” both in the studio and on stage for close to 30 years. Torstein and Nikolai is the most solid of rhythm sections, a well-oiled engine, finesse and power combined.
Elephant9 established their reputation as a live powerhouse well before their album debut in 2008 and have since released six more studio albums as well as the live albums from 2019.
Terje Rypdal´s musical history dates back to the early sixties as a teenage member of The Vanguards, and The Dream a few years later. His main body of work is with ECM, first as a member of Jan Garbarek Quartet (Afric Pepperbird, 1970) and with his first solo album Terje Rypdal (1971), all in all counting some 30 releases up to Conspiracy (2020).
credit: Tord Litleskare
ELEPHANT9 with TERJE RYPDAL – Catching Fire
release date: 25th October 2024
formats: 2LP / CD / DL
label: Rune Grammofon
cat no: RCD2236 / RLP3236
Tracks:
A1/1 I Cover The Mountain Top
B1/2 Dodovoodoo
C1/3 Psychedelic Backfire
C2/4 John Tinnick
D1/5 Fugl Fønix
D2/6 Skink
Line up:
Ståle Storløkken – Hammond, Rhodes, Mellotron
Nikolai Hængsle – Electric bass
Torstein Lofthus – Drums
Terje Rypdal – Electric guitar