Record Reviews

AKMEE ~ NEPTUN NAKAMA 011 (Barcode: 7090040260208) ~ NORWAY ~ Free Jazz / Improvised Music Recorded: 2016 Released: 2017 This is the debut album by the Norwegian quartet AkmeeFind albums by this artist, which comprises of trumpeter Erik Kimestad PedersenFind albums by this artist, pianist Kjetil JerveFind albums by this artist, bassist Erlend Olderskog AlbertsenFind albums by this artist and drummer Andreas WildhagenFind albums by this artist. The album presents four lengthy pieces, two composed by Jerve and one each by Albertsen and Wildhagen. The music floats between composed themes and freely improvised passages, developing slowly and allowing all the members of the quartet to express their ideas and exchange ideas with others, always respectfully and gracefully. As usual in these circumstances there are several fracture groups within the quartet, like trumpet / rhythm section or piano / rhythm section trios, in addition to the full quartet performances of course. The individual performances by all four members of the quartet are very impressive and interesting. There is an obvious effort to search for new ways of expression and even new sonic possibilities on their respective instruments. There is nothing expected here and every new sound opens new possibilities for the quartet to follow suit. Pedersen soars on his trumpet, Jerve is cool like northern ice, Albertsen is steady like a rock and keeps the proceedings in check and Wildhagen wonderfully ornaments the music which his highly unconventional percussive approach. Of course, as expected, the music has ingredients of the typical Norwegian school, but is not overall stylistically lethargic, mixing fire and ice exactly at the right proportions. Personally the work of Jerve is the most fascinating to me, but to be fair all four young musicians are examples of the superb new European Jazz generation, which contributes to the Renaissance of the genre. The album is relatively concise and lasts only slightly above the half an hour mark, but considering the intensity and complexity of the music perhaps this is a wise decision, delivering just the right amount of music which a listener is able to sit through before getting distracted. The album is another excellent release on the young independent Norwegian label NakamaFind albums on this label Records, which consistently manages to put out superbly challenging contemporary European Jazz. Well done!

Updated: 27/09/2017Posted: 27/09/2017

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JERVE / THORNTON / THOREN ~ CIRCUMSTANCES AMP 019 (Barcode: 662578831136) ~ NORWAY ~ Jazz Recorded: 2017 Released: 2017 This is the debut album by the Jazz piano trio comprising of Norwegian pianist / composer Kjetil JerveFind albums by this artist, British bassist Tim ThorntonFind albums by this artist and Swedish (resident in Norway) drummer Anders ThorenFind albums by this artist. The album presents nine tracks, three of which are original composition by Jerve, two are by Thornton and one is a collective composition by the trio members. Of the remaining tracks, two are standards and one is a surprising inclusion of a composition by the great Allan HoldsworthFind albums by this artist (RIP). The album was recorded at the legendary Rainbow studio in Oslo and offers excellent sound quality. This album is somewhat surprising in view of Jerve´s debut album released a year earlier ("New York ImprovisationsFind albums with this title"), which was quite freely improvised. The music on this album shows another face of his musical personality, and is dominated by highly melodic, mostly slow tempo ballads, full of melancholy and reflection and some highly swinging pieces. It is great to see such versatility in Jerve´s approach to Jazz, which of course is by its nature a multifaceted idiom. Of course Jerve is, as I have stated already in other reviews, a superb pianist with excellent technique but more importantly also a great feel for the music, which enables him to change his dynamics and even the entire approach to his instrument on the fly. He is definitely one of the most interesting Nordic pianists lately and someone worth watching closely. The rhythm section on this album displays significantly more presence and input than in most contemporary piano trios these days. Thornton is a very powerful and wonderfully precise bassist and his deep pulsations are there up front almost at the same volume with the piano. His playing is inventive and fascinating and simply can not be ignored by the listener. Thoren does a grand job as usual, with his unique rhythmic artistry, which also becomes an integral part of the overall sound. To summarize, this is a brilliant piano trio album, which should make the many connoisseurs of this particular variety of Jazz extremely happy, but of course all Jazz fans should find this very satisfactory. Another excellent release on the small independent Norwegian label AMPFind albums on this label Records, which is proving that small independent labels can be (and very often are) better than the bigger sharks ;) Well done!

Updated: 01/12/2017Posted: 01/12/2017

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KJETIL JERVE ~ NEW YORK IMPROVISATIONS DUGNAD 001 ~ NORWAY ~ Free Jazz / Improvised Music Recorded: 2015 Released: 2016 This is the debut album as a leader by Norwegian pianist Kjetil JerveFind albums by this artist, recorded in NY in a quartet setting with American saxophonist Jimmy HalperinFind albums by this artist, bassist Drew GressFind albums by this artist and an anonymous drummer (a curiosity indeed). They perform four improvised pieces, three as a quartet and one as a saxophone / piano duo. The pieces are not credited to anybody and therefore assumed to be co-composed by the participating musicians. The album was released as individually numbered limited edition of 500 copies (my copy is 130/500). The music, although freely improvised, is remarkably melodic in its nature, especially emphasized by the wonderfully lyrical tone of Halperin´s tenor saxophone. The mid to up-tempo pieces swing also quite surprisingly considering the free spirit of the music. The musicians communicate between themselves amicably and are able to create a coherent sound as a quartet, which of course is quite admirable under the circumstances. There are many excellent contributions by Halperin and Jerve, sometimes playing almost unisono, or in parallel or against each other, but always doing so with elegance and of course great skill. Halperin, which whom I have not been familiar before listening to this record, was the most surprising and powerful discovery, which will be, of course, followed through. I have heard Jerve´s recordings before as member of other different ensembles, especially the piano trio called Orter EpargFind albums by this artist, which is also quite excellent. Overall this is an excellent Avant Garde Jazz album, full of joy and vitality, completely absorbing from start to finish and highly recommended to all fans of the genre and even the more adventurous mainstream Jazz lovers.

Updated: 17/12/2018Posted: 02/06/2017

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