Edinburgh (Scotland)

Feb 16 2020

Best of 2019 #04: Haftor Medboe – “Will of the People”

 

In 2019, the recorded output of Haftor Medbøe was incomparable.  Different ensembles and different sounds and different environments kept listeners on their toes and their expectations in check.  The gentle exhalation of a melody and deep dive into serene waters was just as likely to manifest as a combustible attitude and quick burn of rocket fuel.  We’ll be talking more about the guitarist’s 2019 output in an upcoming Year in Summary column, but in the context of the Best of 2019 list, no album better represents the quality of the work or the expanse of its range than the live performance recording Will of the People.  These four extended, fully improvised pieces are as riveting as anything to hit the shelves in 2019, and about as resounding an introduction as one is likely to get to Medbøe’s work.

Your album personnel:  Haftor Medbøe (electric guitar, effects), Pete Furniss (bass clarinet, electronics), and Tom Bancroft (drums, percussion).

Released on Copperfly Records.

Music from Edinburgh, UK.

Listen | Read more | Available at:  Bandcamp

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Jan 15 2019

Best of 2018 #17: Trio HLK – “Standard Time”

 

There’s so many ways to utilize the music of the past as the source of inspiration for the music of today.  Trio HLK (along with guests Evelyn Glennie and Steve Lehman) present a before-and-after comparative of deconstructed standards, where the original work serves as the seed for a massive transformation into something quite new.  The before and after pictures are not always apparent.  In fact, a certain level of disconnect should be expected going in.  However, that’s the charm of the album, and its intelligence.  In that same way a puzzle can be considered a source of entertainment even as it forces a brain to go into overdrive and the nervous system to persevere ’til the solution is found, Standard Time coaxes a deep dive into the memory banks for something familiar as it simultaneously keeps the attention focused on its playful expressionism of the new.

Released on Ubuntu Music.

Music from Edinburgh, Scotland.

Read more on Bird is the Worm.

Available at:  Bandcamp | Amazon

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