Review by Brad Walseth
I haven't been able to get this wonderful release from Norwegian guitarist Young and his group out of my current playlist. Numerous reasons for this: Young's sensitive and hypnotic guitar work; the languid, moody compositions that seem to amble along at the pace of a heartbeat at rest; the fine work of the band members: tenor saxophonist Vidar Johansen, 64-year old (and still going strong) drummer Jon Christensen and bassist Mats Eilertsen; or the presence of young trumpet artist Matthias Eick, who is one of my favorite up and coming European players.
Young's playing is measured like Bill Frisell, or locally Jason Steele, and he studied with American jazz guitar icon Jim Hall (as well as John Abercrombie). There is a definite Hall influence to his approach: a willingness to forego the flashy for the appropriate foremost, while Eick (who also appeared on Manu Katche's recent "Playground") reminds me some of Enrico Rava with his softly lyrical trumpet work. Eilertsen is a supremely melodic player, who is well tuned to Young’s wavelength, and Johansen is a talented player who plays with impressive quiet fire.
The songs in this release flow smoothly from one the next creating an atmosphere of quiet contemplation that can be bittersweet at times, but never depressing. The songs themselves are interesting, but at times difficult to distinguish from one another, with only occasional outbursts like Christensen's kinetic drumming on "St. Ella" puncturing the hazy dreamscape. Not that the music is formless, there is melodic structure, but also plenty of space and room for improvisation. One song title is "Wide Asleep," which could indeed describe the tenor of the whole album better than I can here.
As evidenced by my inability to file this recording despite the dire need to move on to other new recordings, there clearly is a place in my own life for music this meditative and life affirming, and as the luscious "Gazing at Stars" recedes to close the album, I must decry that music this beautifully hypnotic and peaceful doesn’t form a wider part of the current musical landscape in these times of fear, hatred, uncertainty and upheaval.
|
