Record Reviews

NYPAN ~ STEREOTOMIC LOSEN 168 (Barcode: 7090025831683) ~ NORWAY ~ Jazz Recorded: 2016 Released: 2017 This is a live recording by a quartet led by Norwegian guitarist / composer Oyvind NypanFind albums by this artist, with pianist Bernt MoenFind albums by this artist, Swedish bassist Egil KalmanFind albums by this artist and drummer Ole MofjellFind albums by this artist. The album presents eight original compositions, all by Nypan. This is Nypan´s fourth album and his second release on the excellent Norwegian LosenFind albums on this label Records. The music is typical guitar focused modern Jazz, which in spite of the fact that the musicians are Scandinavian, sounds very American, both stylistically and aesthetically. The compositions are melody based, but allow relative freedom, which includes some irregular rhythmic patterns and open structure. The melody stays basically well in the background, serving only as a vehicle for the guitar and less often also the piano to play their respective solos. The rhythm section seems to have some difficulties to follow the leader during the complex pieces and stays respectfully way in the background most of the time. When the music enters a Free Improvisation mode, it sort of falls apart. When a quartet plays a slow ballad or a straightforward swinging music, everything works well, but the music becomes corny. Overall, although the participants are all very experienced and skilled musicians, the album lacks coherence and clarity to make it an enjoyable listening experience. Some melodic guitar parts are able to hold water for a while, but at some point the magic is simply lost. Guitar freaks might find this album interesting, at least in part, although it is rather difficult to grasp as a whole. Good intentions that did not pay off this time…Of course only my very personal view.

Updated: 16/05/2017Posted: 16/05/2017

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TRONOSONIC EXPERIENCE ~ THE TRONOSONIC EXPERIENCE LOSEN 174 (Barcode: 7090025831744) ~ NORWAY ~ Jazz-Rock Fusion Recorded: 2016 Released: 2017 This is the debut album by the Norwegian Fusion quartet The Tronosonic ExperienceFind albums by this artist comprising of saxophonist Ole Jorgen BardalFind albums by this artist, guitarist Oyvind NypanFind albums by this artist, bassist Per Harald OttesenFind albums by this artist and drummer Ivar Loe BjornstadFind albums by this artist. The "live in the studio" recording presents seven original compositions, six of which were composed by Ottesen and one was co-composed by Bjornstad, Nypan and Ottesen. The total playing time of the album is just about thirty four minutes, more appropriate for an EP than a full album these days. The music floats between Heavy Metal Rock, Punk and Jazz-Rock Fusion, creating a forceful and dominating "wall of sound" experience. Based on melodic themes, the music is mostly improvised, with Bardal being the most Jazz oriented player, Nypan playing a Heavy Fusion guitar barrage, familiar from his other recordings, and the rhythm section stays within the Rock meters, with the heavy bass sound way up in the mix. The slow contemplative tracks are much more interesting than the mayhem created on the up-tempo Rocky numbers, which display a Punkish nonchalance and way too much distortion. The overall sound of the album is muddled and fuzzy, which of course is intentional. The quartet members are all highly professional musicians and their individual contributions are all satisfactory of course. Personally this not my cup of tea, but I imagine that many Rock and Fusion fans might find this record interesting or even fascinating. It is definitely worth investigating!

Updated: 04/10/2017Posted: 04/10/2017

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