Erland Dahlen: Rolling Bomber

Erland Dahlen (drums; electronics)

Rolling Bomber (Hubro Music; 2012)

It's a little hard to believe that Rolling Bomber is Erland Dahlen's first solo album. You can hear his work across a number of releases; most notably the recent Nils Petter Molvaer album and in Eivind Aarset Sonic Codex Orchestra. Dahlen has a rich and vivid quality to his playing and his compositions on his Rolling Bomber are just as diverse and spirited.  

"Flower Power" comes on like a scene out of Forbidden Planet. Dahlen's drum work and electronics feels someone using a theremin to buzz through your skull. It's groovy and freighting all at once. Dahlen's creative use of electronic and percussion instruments play a significant roll in the sound and structure of the album. The sounds are almost other-worldly in parts. And in others almost tribal. But let's not describe this album as a collection of avant garde noise experiments; Rolling Bomber has a lot of structure to each of its pieces. "Piratman" is an example of the combination of ethnic rhythms and spaced out thoughts. At times it was reminiscent of the solo work from Stewart Copland or even the multi-cultural work of Jon Hassell.

"Pyramid" has the experimental effects you would expect from a bustling record like this. There are ambient effects that are enhanced by Dahlen's dense rolling drum tones. It's a heavy piece filled with crunching, crackles and brushes that are beautiful and entrancing. "Germany" has an interesting opening that after my third glass of (well, that's a different story...) felt like I was listening to a track from the Cure's Pornography album (that's not a bad thing, people). This is probably the most upbeat tempo track on the album yet the perfect way to close these high-tech experiments in sound.

I've been addicted to this album for a couple of weeks now and combining a listen of Nils Petter Molvaer's Baboon Moon and Rolling Bomber, you have a deep lesson in one of the more undiscovered drummer/composer of the next generation. 

Nils Petter Molvaer: Baboon Moon

Nils Petter Molvaer (trumpet; electronics)

Baboon Moon (Thirsty Ear; 2011)

Erland Dahlen (drums)

Stian Westerhus (guitars, electronics)

A Nils Petter Molvaer record is always something to celebrate. Baboon Moon is no different. Well...in some ways it is. Molvaer has pared down his outfit to a trio. And while Westerhus and Dahlen have mainly performed with him in live, this set up provides less reliance on dance oriented beats and focuses on acoustic instrumentation and minimal manipulation.

There is a bombastic quality to some of pieces that made me feel as though it was Molvaer backed by King Crimson. "Mercury Heart" storms into view with heavy emphasis on Molvaer's playing (sometimes muted and sometimes just erie trumpet). Dahlen provides a pulverizing presence on drums, while Westerhus delivers all the spacial aspects through some shimmering notes on guitar and electronics.

"Recoil"  ventures into more of a rock territory than anything I've heard Molvaer do in years. There are times where this piece reminded me of the Tonbruket releases. It's powerful, distorted, rhythmic, chaotic and all-around groovy. Dahlen gives an almost tribal display on that will really keep you engaged.

"Prince Of Calm" returns to the more ballad atmospheric material of Molvaer's earliest works. A slow, drone-like feeling dominated by Molvaer's almost teary-eyed performance makes "Prince Of Calm" a very personal piece. "Baboon Moon" builds slowly with Molvaer taking some extended breaths on trumpet with Dahlen and Westerhus instrumenting some lovely rolling effects that cascade louder and louder aided by the subtle harmonies of Susanne Sundfor. Beautiful, distant yet resounding.

While, Nils Petter Molvaer has been important influence on the Norwegian and European scene for almost three decades (including his years before and after Masqualero), Baboon Moon for me sees him regaining is voice and moving in new direction. The stripped down approach for Baboon Moon provides a tighter and more balanced listen for new ears and a real adventure for the die-hard fans like myself. Beautiful work. 

Thomas Heberer: Klippe

Thomas Heberer (trumpet)

Klippe (Clean Feed Records; 2011)

Joachim Badenhorst (clarinet)

Pascal Niggenkemper (bass)

Stunning. Simply stunning. I really stumbled into this record. It came about as a result of listening to the recent Equilibrium album, Walking Voices. I wanted to investigate some more material that Joachim Badenhorst had worked on and the new album from German born now New York resident, Thomas Heberer kept coming into view. Mainly from friends constantly telling me I need to check this guy out. And I finally decided I'd better take a listen. And what a surprise...

He studied under the great Manfred Schoof as well as plays in the collective Instant Composers Pool, led by Misha Mengelberg and Han Bennink. But aside from those illustrious backgrounds, he has a loaded catalogue of music that varies in themes (somber to cinematic to Moleaver-esque electronics) but is played with the highest of quality.

On his latest album, Klippe, Heberer delivers a chamber session that is moving as well as experimental in texture. The title refers to Heberer's childhood growing up near the Baltic Sea. The music strongly evokes a sense of space, long depths and far-reaching exploration.

"Torn" opens the disc with a delicate examination of space that has both a European classical element as well as encompassing aesthetics of free jazz. It slowly builds just for a moment and quickly recedes back into your consciousness. Heberer's performance is steady and emotionally effective.

Heberer's composition, "Mole" reminds me of early Enrico Rava. It's crisp and vibrant with sharp passages from both Badenhorst and Heberer. Niggenkemper adds an eerie backdrop with his soft touches on the bass strings. "Stapellauf" shows some of the affect Schoff's influence has had on Heberer. It swirls with frenetic and dark tones from both Niggenkemper and Heberer that pulsate and shift back and forth.

"Blanker Hans" and "Luv und Lee" both feature a mixture of improvised and structured chords that sees Bandenhorst and Heberer playing counterpoint while Niggenkemper rides up and down the scales with subtle abandon. "Einlaufbier" returns the listener to shore after a long journey. It's quiet and short but the final notes will linger in your memory well after the session ends.

Klippe is beautifully composed and executed. Stripped of additional instrumentation and giving his fellow musicians the room to roam and improvise, Thomas Heberer is becoming more than just one of the best kept secrets in the European and New York music scene. Highly Recommended.

Best Albums Of 2010: Mikrokolektyw

Over the next two weeks JazzWrap revisits our favourite albums of 2010.

Mikrokolektyw (group; formed 2004)
Revisit (Delmark; 2010)
Kuba Suchar (drums, electronics)
Artur Majewski (trumpet, electronics)

The melding of electronics inside jazz (particularly European jazz) has been a prominent force over the last decade. One of the best pioneers of this fusion is Nils Petter Molvaer, with numerous artists and groups emerging since Molvaer's groundbreaking Khemer release. One group were the Polish quartet Robotobibok. Robotobibok recorded three stellar albums in the mid-nineties--their 2000 debut, Jogging (Vytvornia OM) is highly recommended. After the group split in 2004, Suchar and Majewski carried on as a duo, now known as Mikrokolektyw (pronounced Microcollective).

Mikrokolektyw have created a magnificent piece of Eastern European jazz, electronics and acoustic improvisation with their debut, Revisit (Delmark). More atmospheric and live instrument based than like-minded countryman, Skalpel, Mikrokolektyw present beautiful soundscapes, rich in texture and lyrical expansion. While the absence of a bassist and pianist seem bizarre on the surface, its Majewski's sublime trumpet playing and Suchar's hypnotic patterns of percussion that make tracks like "Running Without Effort" and "Revisit" completely flawless. The listener never realizes that this is a duo (with the added accompaniment of a minimoog) driving the forceful yet melodic nature of the tunes.

This is similar ground that Robotobibok covered during its seven year run, so anyone familiar with those records won't be too surprised. But its the fluidity of Revisit as a whole that makes this one of the best albums of the year for me. The interplay between Suchar and Majewski on "Almost A Good Morning" is infectious and mind blowing all at once. There could be comparisons to Molvaer but that would only be on the surface of the melodic nature of the music. The improvisation and bending of sound of "Lipuko" and "Tar Man" show deep sense of creativity and search for sounds beyond jazz and electronica.

Mikrokolektyw released a companion DVD entitled Dew Point (Delmark) which will really convince you that this is a duo with serious intentions. The performance blew me away. It also includes a few numbers which aren't on Revisit. So it is well worth having both documents.

Mikrokolektyw have definitely made one of the best "boundary pushing jazz" records of the year - one that I can't stop listening to. Revisit builds on the experimental traditions of Miles Davis' latter fusion material and the worldly recordings of Don Cherry (a major influence) but then blast into Sun Ra territory without you ever noticing. This is confident work from musicians who have been on the scene long enough and continue to search and explore new sounds. I urge you if you haven't been turned on to Mikrokolektyw yet--now is the time.

Eivind Aarset: The Sonic Sound

Eivind Aarset (guitar; b. 1961)
(Photo: nomo/michael hoefner)

With a combination of Brian Eno's ambient creations and Miles Davis' fusion era explorations, guitarist, Eivind Aarset has created a futurist realm for the jazz guitarist. Hailing from Norway, Eivind Aarset had performed with numerous Norwegian musicians--really coming to prominence through his work with Nils Petter Molvaer, Sidsel Endrensen and Bugge Wesseltoft to name a few. His recordings are a modern fusion of jazz and electronics. Melodic in nature but with enough emotionally craftiness that his instrumental voice standouts amongst the layers of electronics.

 

Eivind Aarset's albums are awash of electronics all the while emitting subtle harmonics and ethereal grooves that sometimes can be reminiscent of fellow guitar experimentalists, Michael Brook and David Torn. Aarset has four albums to date. Each one building on the rugged guitar movements and sparse electronic density with enchanting effects.

My favourite album would be his third album, Connected (Jazzland Records). Connected fulfills the promise of his debut, Electronique Noire and its successor, Light Extracts with swathes of acoustic, electronic and forward thinking results. Connected features excellent vocal contributions from Dhafer Youssef and wonderful interplay with saxophonist, Hans Ulrik as well as the rest the band.

 
This is a session that not only builds a soundscape conjuring up other worldly images but as illustrates Aarset's ability to create pathway and vision for jazz guitarists to follow. Songs like "Silk Worm", " Electromagnetic In E," and "Transmission" standout as signpost of musician who is thinking on a completely different level than his contemporaries.

Eivind Aarset's most recent release Live Extracts is an altogether different experience. It's brings the creativity of the studio into raw, emotional and improvised live setting.

Live Extracts follows Aarset's touring band Sonic Codex Orchestra in support of his fourth album Sonic Codex. This octet is really amazing and the sound world they create invokes the aforementioned guitarists but also Aarset's work shift between electronic adventure and jazz improvisation. Covering mainly pieces from Sonic Codex and Connected, Live Extracts is well focused live album with some bright moments like "Electromagnetic"--a piece that expands around Aarset's distorted and monstrous chords and pounding rhythms from Audun Erlien (bass), Wetle Holte and Erland Daahlen (both on drums).

"Drobak Saray" a beautiful track from Sonic Codex that here is even more raw, with waves expression from Aarset and heavy mood displacement from Erlien. The track then builds into a cavalcade of grand rock movement.

"Murky Seven" is the shortest track on the album but delivers a nice experimental vibe with Aarset's mild picking and some lovely percussion work from Dahlen. This folds directly into an assault on sound that is "Sign Of Seven" with features a magnificent performance from Hakon Kornstad (sax). This is also probably the closest moment Aarset comes to Live Evil/Dark Magus period of Miles Davis as the piece builds layer upon layer of sound to complete all-stop.

Live Extracts closes appropriately with "Bla Meis", a slow moving ballad with what feel to me like gentle Americana undertones. "Bla Meis" quietly slides and fades away leaving the listener with a pleasant emotional live experience.

Aarset's playing is always bold but never overpowering or used to make some over-produced statement. I think Connected and Live Extracts are the prefect companions and introductory pieces for anyone looking at getting into Eivind Aarset--one of the best jazz guitarist coming out of Norway at the moment.

Martin France: Spin Marvel

Spin Marvel (group; formed 2007)
The Reluctantly Politicised Mr. James (Edition Records)

Martin France (drums, electronics)
Tim Harries (bass)
Nils Petter Molvaer (trumpet)
John Parricelli (guitar)
Terje Evensen (percussion)

Edition Records out of England, is quickly becoming a label where you will most likely purchase any record they release. Like other highly creative and passionate labels, Clean Feed, Rune Grammofon and Fresh Sound/New Talent, Edition Records are signing and releasing some truly challenging albums of late. My most recent encounter is Spin Marvel, a collective overseen by the versatile drummer, Martin France. France has worked in multiple forums, experimental, big band and small groups. He can be heard on albums by Kenny Wheeler (trumpet), John Taylor (piano), Bugge Wesseltoft (piano), Sidsel Endresen (voice) and a list could go on.

The Reluctantly Politicised Mr. James is Spin Marvel's second album, first for Edition Records. There may be similarities to the Norwegian jazz scene which are unavoidable considering the lineup but Spin Marvel have produced an album layered in eclectic grooves and infused by really sense of exploration. The Reluctantly Politicised Mr. James is a real tour de force that isn't a wash in experimental noise that some of other European outfits use as their platform. That lineup includes the always hypnotic and hauntingly beautiful work of Nils Petter Molaver on trumpet and the outstanding ethereal guitar soundscapes of John Parricelli.

The albums opener, the title track, signals the free flowing adventure of ...Mr. James takes. On "Two Metalled Tendrils/Ten Stairs Stretching," Molvaer, Parricelli and France dominate but you can feel this a complete band thinking as one. At times this reminds me of Last Exit or Praxis in which the group moves from chaotic dissonance to ambient beauty. "Dust In Eyebeam" is another chilling piece of sound sculpture that highlights Spin Marvels journey of experimentation, simpatico and vision of space with limitless possibilities.

Spin Marvel may not be for everyone but The Reluctantly Politicised Mr. James is an experiment that delivers the right outcome with every listen.

Food: Quiet Inlet

Food (group; formed 1998)
Quiet Inlet (ECM)
Thomas Stronen (drums, electronics)
Ian Balllamy (sax)

Nils Petter Molvaer (trumpet; electronics)
Christian Fennesz (guitar, electronics)

Originally formed as a quartet including Arve Henriksen (trumpet) and Mats Eilertsen (bass), Food is now a duo with various guest musicians. Stronen and Ballamy have been consistent soundshapers on the thriving Norwegian jazz scene for over 20 years now. Food has always been a core project for them. Their recent release (6th in all), Quiet Inlet (ECM) continues the group philosophy of creating new worlds from improvising sounds.

Mostly the pieces on Quiet Inlet were recorded live at European Festivals but you would never notice as most the audience noise has been taken out. With the addition of Molvaer and Fennesz, Food have full immersed themselves in an experimental and sometimes electronic noise environment. That's not a bad thing. The essence of Food is always here. The acoustic aspect of their work may sometimes step into the background but you know its there.

The music on Quiet Inlet in melodic, improvised and ethereal while all follow a specific rhythmic pattern. Stronen's unique and technically brilliant style on drums/percussion are high points throughout Quiet Inlet, especially on the tracks "Tobiko" and "Mictyris". Heniksen's other-worldly trumpet style shines with a gentle beauty on latter pieces ""Becalmed" and "Dweller". Fennesz, who has quickly emerged as a major force in the ambience/improvising circles shows why he is one most creative noise guitarist around at the moment on the closing number "Fathoms" as well as his work on "Mictyris".

Quiet Inlet is no real departure for Food but is probably the more accessible (using the term loosely) of their albums. There are moments of improvised ambience as well gritty electronic grooves. Both of which are highly satisfying to this listener. Hope you get a chance to enjoy as well.

Guitar Week: Trio Schmetterling

This week JazzWrap will take a look at guitarists and guitar driven groups that have or will be making a difference in jazz.

Trio Schmetterling (group; fromed 2007)
Keisuke Matsuno (guitar/electronics)
Alexander Binder (bass)
Jan Roth (drums)

As discussed recently, the rise of trios on the jazz scene is quite simply--mindnumbing. It's is sometimes difficult to sift through all the good ideas being produced to find the originality. Well, I have to say in the case of the following trio there is something different for you grab hold of. Trio Schmetterling is a guitar based trio that utilizes both the sonic aspects of Glenn Branca, Sonic Youth and the best elements of recent Nordic jazz improvisers like Nils Petter Molvaer, The Thing, Supersilent, et al. Not clearly defined (which is something we at JazzWrap like allot).

The self titled debut, Trio Schmetterling (Analogsoul Records), opens with "Solaris", a dreamy and rhythmic piece that reminds me of Slowdive or My Bloody Valentine (circa Loveless). The albums is filled with mid tempo motifs that abstract yet enveloping. If anyone remembers the late 80s/90s instrumental band Pell Mell this is slightly (only slightly) similar. Further tracks like "Insel" and "Abschiedslied" contain some great drum work from Jan Roth and some nice bluesy interplay between Matsuno and Binder making for some highly enjoyable variations.


Trio Schmetterling never really take flight as you would expect from a guitar based trio. But I don't think that is their intention. This is an album of dark dense space with strong melodies pushing the listener forward. "Kinderlied" does finally take the band into some atmospheric territory taking a gentle tone in its beginning before venturing into a lovely harmonic chaos of arpeggios to close things out. Trio Schmetterling may not be a jazz band for some of you but they surely aren't a rock band for me. This is the work of a young band in progress but the progress is quite impressive.

Lars Danielsson

Lars Danielsson (bass; b. 1958)

Lars Danilesson might not be well known amongst many jazz fans but he is building an exciting and diverse portfolio of work. He has recorded over 12 albums and performed as a sideman on countless of other releases. The bassist has worked with Charles Lloyd, Eivind Aarset, Nils Petter Molvaer, Jack DeJohnette, Viktoria Tolstoy to name a few. His style while quiet is beautifully orchestrated. He had a constant quartet in the '90s that featured Bobo Stenson (piano), Dave Liebman (sax) and Jon Christiensen (drums) that recorded a string of astonishing sessions that only one is readily available Far North (Curling Legs). That quartet definitely helped shape Lars Danielsson compositional vision and I think is responsible for his more adventurous recordings of late for ACT Music.

His current work on ACT has ranged from lush jazz orchestral dates to electronic influenced sessions (with help from Nils Petter Molvaer and Bugge Wesseltoft) and a beautiful, folksy, melodic duo recording with Polish pianist, Leszek Możdżer, entitled, Pasodoble. Pasodoble is probably the one I would recommend to most people as a good starting point. Its quite, spacious and lovely for any setting. With incredible and emotional interplay between the two musicians.

Another quintet release that might also be appealing is his most recent Tarantella. Tarantella is multi-dimensional and has a texture that seems to almost envelope the listener and carry you a delightful journey for an hour. Touching, honest and experienced, Tarantella shows serious growth from a bassist with two decades of experience working with some of the best musicians in jazz.

Just in the last few weeks Act Music released an amazing compilation spanning all of Danielsson's album on various labels. Entitled, Signature Edition (there are three other artists in this new artists specific compilation series), it may be more than the unitiated need but if you are familiar with his work which can be hard to find this is well worth getting. I found it on Amazon more else buy stumbling on to it--but I'm happy I did. There is a lot of material I couldn't find and most of it is included here. Signature Edition is a two disc set. There is a digital version but its only half the tracks.

Danielsson's seems to be able weave classical themes and jazz improvisation with incredible ease. Another reason why I find him an exciting proposition for anyone getting into jazz to check him out. I'm hoping that some time sooner rather than later everyone will get to hear Lars Danielsson.

David Torn: The Guitar And What's Next

David Torn (guitar, electronics; 1953)

New Yorker David Torn, not unlike Mark Isham, is a jazz musician with uncategorizable talents. He has worked on both jazz, world, rock and film and tv projects consistently throughout his career. His career includes studying under John Abercrombe and Leonard Bernstein. He does have a very deep catalog but unfortunately only a few albums are available. He received significant recognition for his work on the Everyman Band albums during the 80s. The albums that are available are truly phenomenal and worth the purchase, especially if you are a fan of Brian Eno, King Crimson, David Sylvian, Supersilent, et al.

David Torn's style is layered and tempered with ambient elements similar to Nils Petter Molvaer or Michael Brook. His style is subtle and sublime with beautiful combinations of the avant garde, mysticism and traditional jazz. Torn can turn the guitar into a dangerous instrument with elements of prog as highlighted from his latest album Perezens (ECM) with the titled track and its preceding track, "Bulbs". His music can be unsettling to the uninitiated but if you are already used to some of the aforementioned artists and you haven't listened to David Torn yet, Perezens is definitely the place to start.

He has recorded three albums for his current label ECM and Prezens is by far the most realized of the three. There is wonderful work from the rest of the band consisting of New York regulars, Tom Rainey (drums), Craig Taborn (piano) and Tim Berne (sax). The album provides a funky turn of sorts with "Them Buried Standing" which I've always loved. This is usually the point at which if you haven't lost the uninitiated, they might start to enjoy the album. If not, trust me they never will.

Perezens is an album of lovely textual soundscapes and loud cacophonous minimalism. If you dig this, his previous ECM album Cloud About Mercury and Best Laid Plans are well worth seeking out. There is a compilation of his earlier work pre-ECM (both solo and as session member) entitled The David Torn Collection which is good but not very well sequenced. It does show the range and variety of artists and styles he has worked in but I would stick to the ECM recordings for best enjoyment.

Sidsel Endresen: That Nordic Voice

Sidsel Endresen (voice)

Photo: C.F. Wesenberg

Sidsel Endresen has been a fixture on the European scene for over 20 years. She has released only a few albums under her own name (eight at last count). She is definitely an artist that might define her music as world (World the genre). While aesthetically the music may be grounded in European jazz--use of sparse arrangements and electronic atmospherics and abstruse lyrics, Sisdel Endresen has created a body of work which is truly original, impressive and influential.

In recent years she has been working with the well-known pianist Bugge Wesseltoft who has surrounded her lyrics mystic with modest yet highly emotional instrumentation. Endresen's albums are more an exploration of voice as instrument than the instruments supporting her. While don't expect everyone to get her I believe she is someone more people need to know about and hear for yourselves. She has also worked with fellow Norwegian, Nils Petter Molvaer and the pairing of her hypnotic voice and Molvaer's muted/electronically tempered trumpet is truly astounding. Those of you familiar with Nusrat Fateh Ali Khan, Sheila Chandra, Diamanda Gallas and combining that with the jazz experiments of Joni Mitchell might also find Sidsel Endresen quite rewarding.

For me the most accessible album might be Out Here. In There. (Jazzland). Out Here. In There. features a nice blend of both Sidsel's folkish/jazz tinged vocal treatments and Bugge Wesseltoft's excellent electronic work as shown of tracks like "Heartbeat", "Survival Techniques" and "Hav". A moody little record that is both engaging and sophisticated.

Sidsel Endresen is an artist reaching beyond rhythmic structure and forcing the listener to view things outside of their comfort zone. This minimalistic approach has made her one of the most soft-after performers and teachers in Europe and a cult figure here in states. I won't try to explain it anymore than that. Take a listen and let me know what you think.