Record Reviews

NINJABEAT ~ THE WAITING GAME AMP 007 (Barcode: 662578831006) ~ NORWAY ~ Jazz-Rock Fusion Recorded: 2015 Released: 2016 This is the debut album by Norwegian Jazz-Rock ensemble NinjabeatFind albums by this artist, a nonet comprising of saxophonist Magnus BakkenFind albums by this artist, bassist Bo BergFind albums by this artist, trumpeter Pal Gunnar FiksdalFind albums by this artist, keyboardists Kristian WentzelFind albums by this artist and Knut LochsenFind albums by this artist, guitarists Ture JansonFind albums by this artist and Svein Rikard MathisenFind albums by this artist, drummer Ole Morten SommerFind albums by this artist and percussionist Bjorn Einar HanstveitFind albums by this artist. The album presents eight original compositions, six of which were composed by Bakken and two were co-composed by Bakken and Berg. The music is an excellent example of Brass-Rock, somewhat retro sounding with clear indicators of the great late 1960s Brass-Rock groups like Blood, Sweat & TearsFind albums by this artist, ChicagoFind albums by this artist and others, but brought up to date with a more electronic sound. The compositions are all excellent and amalgamate elements of Funk, Groove and Soul in addition to the Fusion of Jazz and Rock. Although very accessible, the music is quite complex at times and non trivial at any point. The execution is also excellent, with many exciting solo parts by the participants and a great balance between the ensemble members, with can be very tricky with such large ensembles. The albums is very coherent and a great fun to listen to, from start to finish. Overall this is an excellent debut effort, especially so in view of the fact that music of this specific idiom is almost completely gone from the contemporary scene, which of course is a great pity. This album is wholeheartedly recommended to all Brass-Rock fans, who should love this stuff to pieces!

Updated: 07/10/2017Posted: 07/10/2017

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