The second recording from Norwegian trumpeter Hilde Marie Holsen differs vastly from her phenomenal ARA debut which hit the world in 2015. Different is also a subject, which now refers to artist’s collaboration with painter Tyra Fure Brandsæter and gives new meaning to the core inspiration for those soundscapes. Four titles on the CD are all named after metamorphic minerals needed to create pigments for the paints: Orpiment, Eskolaite, Lapis and Lazuli are used respectively for: orange-yellow, green, blue and so called “sacred blue”.
Knowing that might make your imagination seeing the sonic landscapes in completely new way.
She had from the beginning her own voice and autonomy, which is not easy when you come from the country having already such greats as Nils Petter Molvaer and Arve Henriksen present on the trumpet firmament. When ARA was more about articulation, breath control and looking for the new ways how to express the trumpet through electronica, Lazuli is more focused. Both are equally short, which might indicate the fact that she likes to operate in tight time shells. Unlike on ARA when it takes long time for first trumpet notes to come, here it comes straight forward. One needs a brush to paint as they say, but does he really?
On Orpiment the sound is warm and immersive. Long notes extended even more with post-processing. It lasts hardly three minutes and introduces repetitive simple melody line overlapping apocryphal groovy sound hanging in an air with various intensity. As such it makes great intro to the recording and sets up a contemplative mood and sonically opens the gates for your imagination to step further.
Following Eskolaite is much faster and rolling forward with a different mood. The trumpet plays notes even longer and more delayed, deliberately distorted by software. Percussive tissue in the background sounds very organic and kind of describe the rocky nature of the mineral, one can almost imagine somebody crumbling and grinding it to get what he demands. Floating trumpet loops are definitely in the crowns of the trees, where the wind lives as apposite to definitively root-y character of electronic artefacts holding most of the gravity. This is very wide-angle view to me, foggy and humid with lots of horizontal layers.
The fact it lasts longer makes this feeling of an immersion even bigger and wider.
Going towards blue, takes us as expected to the minor scales. Purity of the trumpet notes here are almost angelic. With lots of air and decay. This extension comes a higher purity of the trumpet sounds, which are now more descriptive. Entire landscape is covered with shades of blue of different provenience and one can feel it in everything, even in blacks. The melody is pure, and the tune leads you into the air, so you see the pictures from the bird’s point of view now. Perspective becomes more vertical and eternal character of the composition takes over.
Closing Lazuli is the longest one, almost as long as preceding ones, if not physically – it feels like that anyway. The waves of sound are coming here like a tight, with the brutal force and dominant presence, like something absolute. The Universe. Undependable power. The momentum builds higher and higher with each next wave coming. That almost pushes you into the worship, buy its density and concentration. On that landscape, long extended solo introduced in the middle of the tune brings something absolute to the imagination and it makes it almost impossible to describe the feeling. To sum it up I must say she progressed 200% percent for me with that development of the new language and did prove that her voice matured seriously since I heard her debut. Incredibly pure and high-quality recording, which
I must admire, is notorious for Hubro makes it a pure debauchery fest for your ears and eyes.
release: 9.11.2018
It happens only rarely that musicians working with improvisation at the sharp end of experimental practice are so attuned to contemporary style and taste that their work reaches beyond “the serious” or “the popular” to come out the other side sounding like a genuinely new form resonating on both levels simultaneously. Building Instrument – the Bergen-based trio of Mari Kvien Brunvoll, Øyvind Hegg-Lunde and Åsmund Weltzien – are such a group. On new album, ’Mangelen Min’(following up the acclaimed self-titled Hubro debut from 2014, and ‘Kem Som Kan å Leve’ from 2016), they mix electronic echoes of the classical baroque, drums that sound almost melodic, fragile but powerful vocals, Balkan flavours and the kind of deep spacey synth sounds you might expect to find on the soundtrack to a feature film by Nicolas Winding Refn. The result is a continually diverting series of subtle and intricately nuanced musical settings where the rate of change never lets up. Yet the group’s massive sense of groove also makes this art that you can dance to.
release: 2nd November 2018
There is complexity in simplicity, and Sparrow Nights is Peter Brötzmann and Heather Leigh’s most enduring record to date, and their first studio album. A series of emotionally rich and boldly elucidated tonal and timbral exchanges played like compositions on pedal steel and reeds, the tracks (released as a 6 track LP and 10 track CD) are cold-forged minimalist blues motifs dragged from instrumental laments.
Multi Kulti is a small label well known for their niche market recordings in Poland and well worth following for all fans of improvised music in general. The latest Hope and Fears session made by this international quartet belongs to that canon exactly. When Shelton is well recognised already post Dolphy tradition continua-tor, remaining three gents can still be called youngsters, with pianist G.Tarwid to be the youngest, but already widely recognised talent by many musicians he had been collaborating with.
Three pieces on this recording are improvised and co- composed by whole quartet. It is an open formula with lot of space left for communication and each artist clearly contributes to this shared space.
In an opening tittle piece, it is Tarwid who supplies the canvas for all that happening, with just a view rightly picked up chops, with bassist following closely and framing this little flock of notes with wonderful long Arcos. This interaction creates the thickness of the texture additionally weaved with Berre’s sparkling and highly energetic drumming. On that surface the sax lines are just laced in like a thread into the weave. Piece has this momentum which is approached carefully and the tension floats from very dance and congested to almost breaking silence with a great intuition and feeling of the dynamic of the act. After rapid start with the great intensity the piece fades into lovely Noir flavour served by Shelton’s sax. From the culmination point things slows and getting handled in more vailed way, all build sensitively around his lines which are clearly taking the lead at that point to get back to equal rights and mutual respect for each other’s voice as they face towards the end.
Daydreams and Terrors, coming after brings an immediate tension that title suggests. It is show off for the drummer in first place as it is him who leads the act now. Piano comes very percussive and counterpointing either. Amount of textures they create is mesmerising and I truly love that piece most of all. Shelton lines are less brassy and sticking with the general flavour, plus hid vibratos on that occasion are to die for. It is also him and his amazingly puffy outro that takes us back to safety.
Closing Ambitions and Doubts carries with more open character. Shelton reed is sounding here very much like Arthur Blythe’s one to me. Phrasing and changing tempos in particular.
But it is only comparison to fit the purpose as he has got his own distinctive voice. This is also a part when each musician has more room given for his own solo voce. The culmination to me is a conversation between the sax, sounding almost like cymbals played Arco and Double Bass, coming in response with fast aliquots, shortly joined by drummer and pianists’ percussion approach.
The amount of fresh ideas out of the water is fascinating to ”watch”. I said watch due to the strong visualisation coming out of the spectacle, which even if being quite dance and demanding for the listeners remains all the time highly entertaining and never becomes boring. Also, the spectrum of intonations with their entire richness and full scale holds on the great balance between the soft and edgy and never triggering a trace of the fatigue.
In one word it is a Marvel
Release Date: 02.11.2018
A voice, a piano, and a couple of songs – that doesn’t sound like much, but in Clara Haberkamp’s case it is enormous.
In the past years the Berlin-based pianist most notably appeared with her trio with drummer Tilo Weber and changing bass players. She made no secret of the fact that she also likes to sing and does it very well. For the first time much less the jazz pianist, but rather the singer-songwriter Clara Haberkamp takes center stage on Neon Hill. In an almost magical way, her songs are catchy and complex at the same time. You definitely can’t sing along the first time, probably not even on the second or third listen, but already at first contact with the eardrum, the songs unfold their acoustic and spiritual bouquet that wants to be heard again and again.
“I’m trying to play the truth of what I am. The reason it’s difficult is because I’m changing all the time.” Charles Mingus
The radical discovery by Amir Abdullah of 5 two-track master tapes in the care of Hermine Brooks – widow of innovative Detroit drummer Roy Brooks – of the Charles Mingus Quintet recorded live in Detroit at Strata Concert Gallery is cause for some serious celebration.
These electrifying recordings took place during Mingus’ week-long residency in February 1973. They were broadcast live by drummer/producer and broadcaster Robert “Bud” Spangler for WDET FM – a public radio station dedicated to jazz – from Kenny and Barbara Cox’s multi-purpose home for Strata Records at 46 Selden. Entrance to the gig was $5 dollars in advance and $6 on the door.
With its previously released studio albums and spectacular concerts, the Kaleidoscope String Quartet (KSQ) has established itself internationally in recent years. The four Swiss between the late twenties and late thirties transcend the classical string quartet format into new dimensions, leaving behind genre boundaries and at times elicit their instruments from unconventional to unexpected tones. Already on curiosity, her second work published in autumn 2015, fascinated her with striking timbres and charismatic original compositions. All the more they amazed at subsequent performances by virtuosity, dynamic joy of improvisation – and consistent renouncement of any sheet music. The special challenge to play everything by heart “allows a free, risk-taking handling of the musical material and opens up spaces for development and deepening,” explains the first violinist Simon Heggendorn.
The 20th album, and just before the 20th anniversary! The legendary wonder orchestra, dining out of a seemingly inexhaustible pool of madly talented academic musicians under the direction of the renowned Norwegian bassist OLE MORTEN VÅGAN (MOTIF).
There is no boundary between improvisation and composition, between energy and sensibility. Music that relies on curiosity, on high-energy processes filled with a catchy inner logic that is transferred to the listeners as they feel the artists’ urgent enthusiasm.
