Record Reviews

MMO ENSEMBLE ~ ANY DAY NOW ORA FONOGRAM 134 (Barcode: 7090015631347) ~ NORWAY ~ Jazz & Poetry Recorded: 2018 Released: 2018 This is the second album by the Norwegian saxophonist / composer Martin Myhre OlsenFind albums by this artist and his MMO EnsembleFind albums by this artist, which is a platform he uses to realize his ambitious large scale projects. On this album the ensemble is expanded to a 12tet and includes besides Olsen also saxophonist Andre RolighetenFind albums by this artist, trombonist Oyvind BraekkeFind albums by this artist, trumpeter Erik Kimestad PedersenFind albums by this artist, vocalist Siril Malmedal HaugeFind albums by this artist, guitarist Karl BjoraFind albums by this artist, pianist Ayumi TanakaFind albums by this artist, violinists Hakon AaseFind albums by this artist and Adrian Loseth WaadeFind albums by this artist, cellist Kaja Fjellberg PettersenFind albums by this artist, bassist Christian Meaas SvendsenFind albums by this artist and drummer Simon Olderskog AlbertsenFind albums by this artist. The album presents a live recording of an eleven-part suite composed by Olsen, which is a Jazz & Poetry endeavor. The album´s title and the titles of the individual tracks derive from a poem by James BaldwinFind albums by this artist and poetry by Emily DickinsonFind albums by this artist and E. E. CummingsFind albums by this artist is used within the suite. The music is mostly composed, based on strongly melodic motifs, but allows space for improvised passages. The large scale ensemble is capable of producing a rich orchestral sound but also fragments of intimate small scale moments and even individual solo statements. The fact that this highly complex music was recorded live as truly astounding. Both the ensemble performances and the individual statements by all the musicians involved are extraordinary. The ensemble spirit, which in a large ensemble like this one is often quite problematic, works here like a charm and the resulting music flows coherently and flawlessly from one piece to the next. But of course it is the musical concept and the compositional ability of Olsen that stands in the center of attention. Olsen talks about bringing the "Duke EllingtonFind albums by this artist Spirit" of Jazz composition into the 21st Century, and indeed his compositions are certainly inspired and influenced by Ellington´s works, but the transition into contemporary idioms is entirely his own creation. One might wish to fantasize how the Ellington Orchestra would sound today and listening to this album is of course one way to accomplish this fantasy. This album certainly continues the Ellington tradition of an orchestra based on virtuosi instrumentalists playing complex and intricate arrangements and featuring vocals. But of course one must not take these direct comparisons too far. Overall this is a stunning piece of music, which offers a vast amount of ideas and emotions, which are simply impossible to comprehend by listening to the album just once. With each listening session a true music lover will discover new layers and experience new thrills. It certainly looks like Olson is cementing his position on the large orchestral Jazz scene and if this is his early period, the sky is the limit. This album is a wonderful example of what European Jazz is able to accomplish using its own language. Although this music is not really representative of the Nordic Jazz idiom, the musical atmosphere of freedom, acceptance and open-mindedness among the young local musicians in Norway is pushing the music in the country to explore uncharted territory and make constant progress. This is definitely an exquisite album, which deserves to be heard and studied by all true music connoisseurs around the world. Absolutely and wholeheartedly recommended, and hats off to these young Jazz lions!

Updated: 23/10/2020Posted: 11/10/2018

CD 1 Mini-Sleeve Recommend To A Friend

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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