Sep 6 2015
Recommended: Lars Jakob Rudjord Ensemble – “Clockwork”
Clockwork, the 2013 release by the Lars Jakob Rudjord Ensemble has been sitting around my listening queue for awhile now. It was one of my eMusic Jazz Picks back when it was released, and noticing that it had been awhile since I last gave it a spin, I’ve recently begun revisiting it. I’m reminded now of why it caught my ear in the first place.
Clockwork begins nicely enough. After a brief opening track (which I’ll address later), the album gets underway with the introspective “Visa från Sandberget,” a song that is heavy from a contemplative demeanor and very generous with the melodic beauty. It possesses a light touch, something of an airy presence, and it has many of the qualities that would get it described as Nordic Jazz. Many of the tracks that follow take on the same pattern. At times, their airy presence borders on insubstantial and a severe lack of engagement. There’s nothing wrong with these tunes. They’re all very pretty. But were they all that comprised this album, it wouldn’t earn a mention.
But then the album begins to unfold in unexpected ways. There’s the crazy volatility of “Bowing,” and how a furious attack on cello is juxtaposed against piano’s more peaceful phrasings. And there’s “Untitled Picture #1” and the way it shrugs the notion of structure from its shoulders. On these songs, cellist Katrine Schiøtt leads the charge, driving the songs ahead. On the other hand, her cello is the undercurrent that lifts up the pointed melodicism of Rudjord’s piano on “Syvert is Lonely,” a song that rings with clarity and shows how Nordic Jazz expressionism can result in sharp imagery, eyes wide open.
The curious “Harpe” is an intriguing mix of Rudjord strumming the piano strings, a high pitched whistle from cello and the sparse but resonant hum of Adrian Fiskum Myhr‘s bass. It’s more sonic vignette than structured composition, but its intriguing personality makes the issue of intent and form a secondary concern.
The album opens with the edgy murmur of “Fremad Marsj” and ends with the serene “Koral 2.” The tonal qualities of each song are effectively flipped from the album half their sound is more associated with. It’s a nifty way to wrap the two faces of this interesting album into a more cohesive bundle, as well as satisfying ways to provide an introduction and a finale.
Your album personnel: Lars Jakob Rudjord (piano), Katrine Schiøtt (cello) and Adrian Fiskum Myhr (double bass).
Listen to additional album tracks on the artist’s Soundcloud page.
Download a free album track at Bandcamp.
Released in 2013 on Fyrlyd Records.
Music from the Farsund, Norway scene.
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Jan 20 2016
Recommended: Scott Jeppesen – “Wonders” and “El Guapo”
Scott Jeppesen – Wonders
The opening salvo is purely modern post-bop, though the warmth it develops has a classic 1960s hard bop quality to it that’s simple to embrace. The melody isn’t complicated or fussy, nor does it serve as a thesis statement in support of the album theme. It grabs the attention and holds it tight. There’s an abundance of cheerfulness, but also more than a hint of introspection. It’s carried along by a rhythm section that scoots ahead with a friendly chatter that’s no less arresting than the melody. And nothing about any of it really speaks to the majesty of the Hanging Gardens of Babylon. But when the quintet sighs out the drop-dead lovely melody of “The Marble Tomb” and follows it up with solos that possess the flickering beauty of a city skyline at night, this, too, doesn’t elicit the imagery of the Mausoleum at Halicarnassus. It certainly doesn’t matter. Not when the music is this good. I like a nifty theme or concept album as much as the next listener, but mostly I want well-crafted melodies, a rhythm section that knows how to set them to motion, and I want it gift-wrapped in some harmonic action that fits perfectly to the shape of the song. On Wonders, Jeppesen does this to a tee, and that’s where to find the source of awe and inspiration on this winning album.
The contrast between the pulsing tempo of “Colossus (of Rhodes)” and the gentle cooing of its melody is a positively magnetic song intro, and that Jeppesen then flips the script and lights a fire under the melody and has the rhythm section take a turn at being the patient one just makes the tune even more arresting. Keyboard effects give a space-y vibe to “Last Man Standing (Great Pyramid Of Giza)” and the walking bassline of “Big Daddy (Statue Of Zeus At Olympia)” adds something familiar to something new, but mostly this is just more of the good stuff provided by the opening track. Something new, however, can be found in the alluring “A Guiding Light (Lighthouse Of Alexandria),” with its curiously loping tempo and slow exhalation of melody.
The concluding chapters of the album are best exemplified by “Hubris,” a song that is emblematic of the album’s ambiguous emotional textures and its penchant for enchanting melodies talked up by rhythms that know how to carry a conversation.
There’s never enough space to fit all the top albums of a particular year on a year-end Best Of list. Wonders is yet another example of an exceptional recording that probably didn’t get as much attention as it deserved.
Your album personnel: Scott Jeppesen (tenor sax, melodica), Larry Koonse (guitar), Josh Nelson (piano, keyboards), Dave Robaire (bass), Don Schnelle (drums) and guest: Bob Sheppard (tenor sax).
This Self-Produced album was released in 2015 on Jeppesen’s Creative Bottle Music label.
On his site, Jeppesen gives a pretty decent rundown of his insights and thoughts about the Wonders project on a wonder-by-wonder basis. Definitely worth checking out (LINK). Plus, he’s got additional music embedded throughout. This is an example of where the concept of liner notes can flourish in the internet age.
Jazz from the L.A. scene.
Available at: CDBaby | Amazon
Scott Jeppesen – El Guapo
The arrival of “Great Odin’s Raven” pretty much cements this album’s roots as belonging to those of modern post-bop, and its wide smile of a melody and boisterous solos as engaging as a raconteur’s best anecdotal material is a conspicuous amount of evidence that Jeppesen and crew really know how to put together a solid modern jazz post-bop recording. Jeppesen’s way with the tunes, how his lyricism possesses both weight and substance while threading the needle between blues-make-me-happy and no-hurt-like-the-blues is a quality that should never be overlooked or under-admired. It’s not easy ground to tread, and it’s not often done with such an absorbing tunefulness. The egregiously under-the-radar UK pianist and composer Julian Joseph would be a bird of a feather in this regard, but it’s not something often encountered on a recording that sticks to jazz’s standard avenues and thoroughfares. The upbeat “I Tend To Agree” hits this sweet spot, too, though more subtly as it trades some of the nuance for an extra dose of heat. A similarly successful trade-off is made on “Maybe Later,” though in this instance, the net gain is a contemplative tone and a gathering of shadows to mute the album’s sunny disposition.
It’s the kind of thing that lets a musician get away with inserting some iffy mainstream groove action into the middle of “Overlapping Conversations.” As a stand-alone track, it’s easily dismissed. But in the flow of the album’s songs, on an album where the nuance exploited within the expanse of a melody’s emotional spectrum is focused squarely on the divide between joy and pain, light and dark, this approach to the music eclipses the measure of its cohesiveness to the entirety of the album. Besides, when Jeppesen digs right back into the heart of this recording with “Hidden,” the sense of logic returns full circle to the first, and ultimately, last impression.
Released back in 2013, this solid recording definitely deserves another turn in the spotlight.
Your album personnel: Scott Jeppesen (saxophones, bass clarinet), Larry Koonse (guitars), Josh Nelson (piano, keyboards), Dave Robaire (bass), Don Schnelle (drums) and guest: John Daversa (trumpet, flugelhorn).
This Self-Produced album was released in 2013 on Jeppesen’s Creative Bottle Music label.
Check out more about the album at the artist site.
Jazz from the L.A. scene.
Available at: CDBaby | Amazon
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By davesumner • Jazz Recommendations, Jazz Recommendations - 2013 Releases, Jazz Recommendations - 2015 Releases, The Two-Fer Review series • 0