Record Reviews

MMO ENSEMBLE ~ LONELY CREATURES ORA FONOGRAM 097 (Barcode: 7090015630975) ~ NORWAY ~ Jazz-Classical Fusion Recorded: 2014 Released: 2016 This is the debut album by Norwegian saxophonist / composer Martin Myhre OlsenFind albums by this artist and his MMO EnsembleFind albums by this artist, which is his platform to present his music projects. The ensemble is an octet and includes also vocalist Kari Eskild HavenstromFind albums by this artist, baritone saxophonist Eirik HegdalFind albums by this artist, violinist Adrian Loseth WaadeFind albums by this artist, guitarist Viljar Dyvik SellevoldFind albums by this artist, Swedish pianist Oscar GronbergFind albums by this artist, bassist Bjorn Marius HeggeFind albums by this artist and drummer Simon Olderskog AlbertsenFind albums by this artist. The music is a concept eleven-part suite composed by Olsen, which he defines as "embracing stories from distant past or future, imaginative beings and fairytales". The album´s artwork suits the above description perfectly. Also melodic and lyrical, the music includes a fair amount of freely improvised passages, which somewhat contradicts the a/m idyllic description of its character. The instrumentation / orchestration of the music causes it to sound like some of the contemporary Classical chamber efforts, but the improvised parts anchor it within the Jazz idiom, creating an interesting cross genre amalgam with a self-defined aesthetics. At times the music also ventures into a "soundtrack mode" or Cabaret music, all being different manifestations of Olsen´s vision as a composer. Strangely enough, although characteristically European, it has no Scandinavian flavors, neither Folklore nor Jazz related, and sounds like something that might have been composed by a German, Austrian or East European composer. This might be the influence of the Trondheim University Music Department, where Olsen and the ensemble members have studied. The individual performances are all top notch. Especially praiseworthy is the usage of the human voice as an instrument, a tendency quite popular lately with young European composers, and the vocalese parts are some of this album´s best moments. But all the instrumentalists also play extended solos and there are plenty of opportunities for personal statements. The rhythm section has a difficult task of keeping the music flowing, especially in view of the fact that most of the tempi are extremely slow. As a result the bass provides an almost metronome like pulse and the drums ornament the music rather than setting the pace. Overall this is a very impressive debut effort, which shows Olsen´s great potential as a composer and the ensemble members as rising young Jazz and beyond musicians. The music is far from being trivial and requires attentive listening and a lot of patience in order to be absorbed properly, with repeated listening session being highly recommended. "Don´t judge the book by its cover" fits the bill perfectly here, as the album is way darker and profound than its exterior. It is heartwarming to hear young European musicians producing work of such quality like this one, which does not swing and is not based on trivial chord progressions, yet nevertheless manages to become challenging, intelligent contemporary Jazz, rather than an echo of ancient and weathered traditions. Well done indeed!

Updated: 10/10/2018Posted: 08/05/2016

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