Record Reviews

GRAF / SMITH / MATHISEN ~ SUNRAIN LOSEN 163 (Barcode: 7090025831638) ~ NORWAY ~ Jazz-Funk Fusion Recorded: 2014 - 2015 Released: 2016 This is the debut album by the Norwegian Jazz-Funk Fusion trio led by veteran keyboardist (now living in the US) Haakon GrafFind albums by this artist with bass legend Per MathisenFind albums by this artist and drummer Erik SmithFind albums by this artist. The live recording presents nine original compositions, all by Graf. The CD is accompanied by a DVD, which presents another live recording of the trio captured six month earlier at the same Oslo club, which includes twelve tunes, also composed by Graf, about half of which also appear on the CD. Haakon produced many splendid recordings over the years and it is a real pleasure to see (and hear) him again in such splendid form as he is on this album. There is perhaps nothing revolutionary here, as far as Jazz-Funk Fusion is concerned, but the excellent tunes and superb execution are enough to make this album a great fun to listen to. This is the European form of Funk, which is elegant, well behaved and sophisticated, and which differs from the American form mostly emphasizing the Groove and less concerned with the finesse of the tunes and virtuosity of the players. Stylistically this music brings fond memories of the bellowed Brian AugerFind albums by this artist, who first developed the European branch of Jazz-Funk Fusion, bringing it to perfection. Graf´s handling of the keyboards is very similar to Auger´s and therefore the apparent similarity, but obviously Graf has his very own voice as is clearly demonstrated herein. Of course the stellar support Graf gets from his rhythm section brings this album to another level of perfection. Mathisen´s bass solos, especially those on the fretless bass, are spine chilling and he is cementing his position as one of the absolute top European electric bass players. Smith also emerges as a monster player with plenty of opportunities on this album to show his immense talent. This music might appear as a bit "old fashioned" conceptually, but what the heck – it is absolutely brilliantly played from start to finish and the fact that these three superb musicians play music that stylistically emerged half a Century ago but still sounds fresh and vibrant only proves that good music is absolutely timeless I had a great time listening to this album and watching the DVD and if you like European Jazz-Funk Fusion and great melodic Jazz, which makes your ass swing, grab this beauty ASAP. Satisfaction guaranteed!

Updated: 19/09/2016Posted: 19/09/2016

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JAN GUNNAR HOFF ~ JAN GUNNAR HOFF GROUP FEATURING MIKE STERN LOSEN 196 (Barcode: 7090025831966) ~ NORWAY ~ Jazz-Rock Fusion Recorded: 2018 Released: 2018 This is an album by the excellent Norwegian trio led by pianist / composer Jan Gunnar HoffFind albums by this artist with bassist Per MathisenFind albums by this artist and drummer Audun KleiveFind albums by this artist, expanded to a quartet with the addition of the American guitar hero Mike SternFind albums by this artist. The album presents eight original compositions, five by Hoff and three by Stern (originating from his solo recordings). The music is superbly recorded and offers a spectacular sound quality and clarity. The music is a wonderfully melodic amalgam of Scandinavian moods, Fusion and Progressive Rock nostalgic vistas, which flows smoothly from one tune to the next like a gentle breeze over a fjord. The well crafted tunes are ideal vehicles for all the musicians to show their talents and the album offers an intimate opportunity to hear the individual performances by four first class musicians. Stern´s playing on this album deserves a special attention, as it is quite different from what can be heard on his numerous recordings to date. It seems to be much more delicate and gentler than before, perhaps an effect of the time passing by or just the atmosphere and the musicians involved in this project. One thing is sure; it is definitely some of the finest guitar artistry ever produced by Stern over time. Hoff is not only a prolific composer and recording artist but also a virtuoso keyboard player, able to create a palette of moods and sound vistas which are both intelligent and sophisticated and at the same time accessible to a large audience. His musical approach has a nostalgic (in the best meaning of the word) tinge to it, fondly resembling the great Prog / Rock / Fusion keyboardists of the late 1960s / early 1970s. Mathisen is a Monster bassist, considered as one of the top electric bass players today, who leads his own projects and is a renowned composer as well, being a great representative of Norwegian music worldwide. His playing on this album represents his gentler, more relaxed character, which personally is my favorite. Kleive is also a prolific Jazz artist and composer, very diverse but always right on the money. His performances here are a textbook example of supportive drumming without being obtrusive, full of grace and good taste. Overall this is a terrific piece of music, which keeps things simple and straight to the heart, full of great playing and superb melody lines, devoid of unnecessary pose, which sadly rules in music today. Wholeheartedly recommended!

Updated: 09/11/2018Posted: 09/11/2018

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OLGA KONKOVA TRIO ~ THE GOLDILOCKS ZONE LOSEN 134 (Barcode: 7090025831348) ~ NORWAY ~ Jazz Recorded: 2015 Released: 2015 This is the fifth album by the piano trio led by Norwegian (born in Russia) pianist / composer Olga KonkovaFind albums by this artist, which also includes her husband bassist Per MathisenFind albums by this artist and British drummer Gary HusbandFind albums by this artist. The album presents eleven original compositions, ten of which were composed by Konkova and one is co-credited to all the trio members and is largely improvised.. Six of the compositions are parts of a suite, which name gave the album its title. From the very first notes on this album it´s pretty obvious that Konkova and her team mean "serious business" and have their very individual way to state it. The classic piano trio format, one of Jazz most archetypal settings, is perhaps the ideal environment to express the intricacies of the Jazz idiom, being just the right size on one hand, and not big enough to overcomplicate matters on the other. However, decades of piano trio´s history have shown a remarkable slow progress in the format, with many, often some of the absolutely best piano trios, sounding very alike, even when separated by decades from each other. Of course there are exceptions, but those are, as usual, an affirmation of the rule. Therefore this trio is a very pleasant surprise exactly due to the fact that it is simply different from most others. The difference is plainly in sight (or rather hearing) on many layers; first acoustically as the presence of an electric bass, which is able to create a dissimilar ambience to its acoustic counterpart, the presence of the Fender Rhodes behind the acoustic piano and the completely unique approach and understanding of the role of the drummer in a piano trio, all of which are present here, and second the melodic layer, which is also very inimitable, far away from conventional "song" oriented compositions, which in this specific case are like "movements", being of a much broader melodic and harmonic scope. These characteristics might cause some consternation at first to an unprepared listener, but shortly after the dust settles the intrinsic beauty of this music become apparent. Of course the individual contributions of the trio members are, as expected, wonderful. Konkova has a very individual touch and the piano notes she produces are very precisely and clearly stated, in contrast to many pianists who love the overly delicate touch, which produces a mushy sound. She is a sort of minimalist, stating exactly what she considers as absolutely essential and lets the listener´s mind to connect the dots. Mathisen is simply marvelous with his understanding and empathy towards the piano parts, playing along supporting the melody lines and stretching them when appropriate. His sensitivity and virtuosity are simply exceptional. Husband, who is sadly often underappreciated or misunderstood, plays perfectly here, also displaying brilliant sensitivity and smoothly moving between delicate rhythmic parts to a barrage of sound, whenever appropriate. Overall this is not only a very beautiful album, but at the same time a very interesting and unusual one, presenting a fresh approach to Jazz in general and the piano trio format in particular. Well done Lady and Gentlemen - absolutely wholeheartedly recommended!

Updated: 04/03/2016Posted: 04/03/2016

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NIOGI ~ LANDING ALESSA 1040 (Barcode: 9004501010408) ~ ISRAEL ~ Smooth Jazz Recorded: 2015 Released: 2015 This is the debut album by Israeli duo NiogiFind albums by this artist, which consists of saxophonist Omri AbramovFind albums by this artist and keyboardist Guy ShkolnikFind albums by this artist, which was expanded to a quartet with the addition of Norwegian bassist Per MathisenFind albums by this artist and Israeli drummer Utsi ZimringFind albums by this artist. The album presents five original compositions, three by Shkolnik and two by Abramov, including a five-part suite, which last for almost twenty four minutes. The album was recorded at the legendary Rainbow Studio in Oslo, engineered by Jan Erik KongshaugFind albums by this artist. The music of Niogi is a very melodic, serene and well behaved, floating somewhere between Prog-Rock, Jazz-Rock Fusion and Smooth Jazz. In some respects it is similar to what Pet MethenyFind albums by this artist was doing with his group during the early days of career (late 1970s to mid 1980s) or the easy side of Scandinavian Jazz, which often ventures into atmospheric music. The compositions are solid, but rather unremarkable and take absolutely no risks. Overall the music is pretty derivative. The performance of the music is dominated by the keyboards, acoustic piano and a plethora of synthesizer sounds, which after a while start to sound all the same. The saxophone parts are even less impressive. The only extraordinary musicianship is demonstrated by Mathisen, whose acoustic and electric bass parts are brilliant from start to finish and who shows ears, sensitivity, elegance and virtuosity in his performances. Overall this is a very pleasant, melodic music, which tries to reach a wide audience without offending anybody on the way. Since such music is loved by many, Niogi might even achieve a commercial success, but on the other hand they have fierce competition by hundreds of other groups playing very similar music. Not my cup of tea.

Updated: 11/05/2016Posted: 11/05/2016

CD 1 Digipak Recommend To A Friend