This is an album where the melodies are as wide as the horizon line and as clear as the sky that frames it. Pianist Arne Torvik keeps things uncomplicated on his new recording Northwestern Sounds, preferring for simple beautiful statements to ring loudly and with clarity. The harmonic texture that bolsters those melodies is crafted by a front line that includes alto sax, trumpet, and guitar, and it’s the way they send out little individual ripples of melody out across the surface of those harmonies that makes all the difference between this being an ordinary album and one that’ll keep offering new discoveries with each listen.
The form of expression is something of a cross between Nordic jazz and mainstream jazz, and it’s a fusion of influences that drives a nice spectrum of cinematic qualities. However, the crack rhythm section of bassist Dan Peter Sundland and drummer Tomas Jarmyr provide a spark of life and edge that keeps the album from ever getting sleepy or insubstantial. The shifts between a casual type of dreaminess and a dramatic intensity are directly attributable to those two musicians.
One of those albums that, by keeping things simple, keeps the reasons for enjoyment coming.
Your album personnel: Arne Torvik (piano, keyboards), Kristoffer Eikrem (trumpet), Martin Myhre Olsen (alto sax), Espen Jørgensen Bjarnar (guitar), Dan Peter Sundland (bass) and Tomas Jarmyr (drums).
Released on Øra Fonogram.
Listen to another album track at the artist’s Soundcloud page.
Jazz from the Molde, Norway scene.
Available at: Amazon | eMusic
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Oct 2 2016
Recommended: Arne Torvik – “Northwestern Sounds”
The form of expression is something of a cross between Nordic jazz and mainstream jazz, and it’s a fusion of influences that drives a nice spectrum of cinematic qualities. However, the crack rhythm section of bassist Dan Peter Sundland and drummer Tomas Jarmyr provide a spark of life and edge that keeps the album from ever getting sleepy or insubstantial. The shifts between a casual type of dreaminess and a dramatic intensity are directly attributable to those two musicians.
One of those albums that, by keeping things simple, keeps the reasons for enjoyment coming.
Your album personnel: Arne Torvik (piano, keyboards), Kristoffer Eikrem (trumpet), Martin Myhre Olsen (alto sax), Espen Jørgensen Bjarnar (guitar), Dan Peter Sundland (bass) and Tomas Jarmyr (drums).
Released on Øra Fonogram.
Listen to another album track at the artist’s Soundcloud page.
Jazz from the Molde, Norway scene.
Available at: Amazon | eMusic
Like this:
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By davesumner • Jazz Recommendations, Jazz Recommendations - 2016 releases • 0