T
he Norwegian label Hubro celebrates its 10th anniversary this year. It’s a small independent label that has become one of the most interesting in Europe through its championing of all the fascinating and varied music that is coming out of Norway. The most notable characteristic of this music and particularly of that recorded on the Hubro label, is that it does not fit into one category. It is the music of blurred genres, so that we have, for example, an artist noted for his folk music such as Nils Økland collaborating with experimental musicians, or bands such as Exoterm adding strong elements of rock and free improvisation into a jazz approach. This is clearly a feature of the contemporary Norwegian music scene, but increasingly it is a more general feature of music making throughout creative circles in Europe.
Every so often a package arrives from Norway with a number of the latest releases. They are beautifully packaged and accompanied by a press release outlining the key points of each release. One attractive feature, at least for me, is that the CDs are relatively short with about 35 to 40 minutes of music in each Cd, in other words about the length of a vinyl album. I find this healthy as I still, in my perhaps old-fashioned way, like to sit down and listen to an album in one go, thinking about it as I listen. The Cds that have up to or over 70 minutes of music make that much more difficult.
Four Cds arrived recently and I will comment on each one briefly. They are excellent examples of the variety mentioned above. Some are rooted in jazz, but draw on rock and trash metal, while other are based in folk, but combine it with aspects of experimental rock.
LUMEN DRONES: UMBRA
This is a fascinating album combining the essentially folk sound of Nils Økland’s Hardanger fiddle and violin with that of two experimental rock musicians, Per Steinar Lie on guitars and Ørjan Haaland on drums. It’s their second album, the first having come out on ECM five years ago. There are nine tracks varying in length nearly 7 minutes to shorter tracks of just over 2 minutes. Each tune has its own character from the gentle hynoptic feel of the opening track Inngang to the rock feel of the third track Droneslag that has the fiddle improvising over the driving rhythms of the guitar and drums. The notes suggest that ‘ there might be a bit of Sonic Youth in there, along with Joy Division, John Calle, Arvo Pärt, Dick Dale, Lamonte Young, Paganini …, but it doesn’t really intrude: Lumen Drones play Lumen Drones music’. It is also intriguing to hear how the Hardanger fiddle, usually associated with folk and classical music, sounds at home with the jazz, rock and contemporary classical sounds of the trio.
EXOTERM: EXITS INTO A CORRIDOR
Exoterm is a Norwegian American quartet led by bass player Rune Nergaard and featuring Norwegian saxophonist Kristoffer Berre Alberts, plus guitarist Nels Cline and drummer Jim Black from the USA. The album was recorded in Brooklyn and has six tracks. It is an extremely powerful and occasionally overwhelming album that is full of very intense improvisation, but also adds some gentler more ambient passages. The notes quotes Nergaard talking of each member of the trio’s love of jazz, rock and improvised music, but that’ in this band every rule and musical boundary is torn down and we combine our musical influences in one big gumbo of sound’
JO BERGER MYHRE & ÓLAFUR BJÖRN ÓLAFSSON: LANZAROTE
This is essentially a duo album the mood of which is one of melancholy triggered by Ólaffson’s sadness at the death of Johann Johannson just before the recording of the album. Ólaffson had often worked with Johannson and was understandably shocked by his unexpected death. The music is based on a process whereby the songs are initially created through improvisation and then treated sonically often with overdubs. The sound is thus ambiently-inclined, but with layers of electronics added. Track 2 Atomised/All We’ve Got is a good example; on this Ólaffson plays percussion and electronics gradually building up the layers of sound over Myhre’s bass. On three tracks the duo is joined by a small section of trumpet and trombone doubling tuba adding an extra melancholy texture.
SKARBÓ SKUKEKORPS
This is a septet led by Óvind Skarbó on drums, percussion, vibes and banjo. The music is the most eclectic of the four albums reviewed here. The notes state that ‘Óvind Skarbó doesn’t just think outside the box. With this drummer/composer there is no box.’ There are nine tracks that include vocals accompanied by banjo, a steel guitar solo and a final more in-your-face track. It’s all very approachable and good fun.
The Hubro label is celebrating its anniversary with a number of showcases round Europe: October 31st October Lantaren Venster, Rotterdam; Spice of Life London 3rd November; La Dynamo, Pantin, France 4th November and Auster Club, Berlin 5th November.
At the recent excellent Jazzlines concert with Mary Halvorson’s Code Girl at the CBSO Centre, Birmingham I was fortunate to obtain a copy of Mary’s forthcoming duo album with John Dieterich, the guitarist with the Deerhof band. It’s essentially a set of guitar duos, but Dieterich does also play on drums and synths. It’s a fascinating album the music of which goes in all sorts of tricky and quirky directions, and draws on many different styles.
The Shifa album receives a 4 Star review (4 Star means Excellent), and it describes the music as ‘an uncompromising and uncharted plunge’. It singles out particular praise for the playing of saxophonist Rachel Musson describing her playing as ‘commanding a bold, granitic timbre’. It goes on to state that Rachel is ‘better known in Europe than in the States’ and that ‘she’s a force deserving of greater recognition’.
The Laura Jurd and Rebecca Nash albums receive 3 Star reviews (3 Star means Good). Laura Jurd’s playing is described as having ‘a profundity neatly paired with a keen sense of humor’ and the music is seen as having ‘an overall playfulness and a totally relaxing mood’.
The review of the Atlas album praises its musicality and states that ‘the eight tracks form a holistic argument that Nash and her superb band are at the vanguard of innovative and compelling new music’.
Since then they have recorded an album for the Swiss Intakt label; this is built round nine attractive tunes, each one composed by one of the trio. These tunes are the launching pad for some wonderfully interactive music. It’s intense and there is constant movement between the composed passages and the improvisation, but, above all, it is extremely rhythmic. In the excellent liner notes Petter Eldh states ‘the approach to rhythm Christian and I have is different in many ways and I think we have created this volatile way of dealing with it’ He adds ‘Kaja’s playing is adding a very powerful layer to what’s happening in the rhythm section… I think it’s important to understand that the three of us have a very strong rhythmical core and we rely on that backbone’.
I was there for the first night of the residency and loved the energy and the sheer joy of the quintet. It seems to be directed by Alex Hawkins at the piano strongly supported by John Edwards on the double bass and the intricate patterns woven by Moholo at the drums. The form of the two sets the quintet played was based on seamless moves in and out of the strong South African melodies, and a movement between these melodies and the passionate improvising of the two reed players, Shabaka Hutchings on tenor sax and bass clarinet, and Jason Yarde on alto sax. The interplay between the two was a key part of the wonderful atmosphere created by the band. As I recall, the band played in both sets one long passage including various tunes interwoven with the improvisation before pausing and concluding the set with one or two shorter passages.
By contrast, the music of the Five Blokes is much more fluid with the constant movement between the tunes and the improvisation that really keeps the listener anticipating quite rapid changes from one to the other. The changes seem to be cued either by Hawkins at the piano or by certain drum patterns from Louis Moholo. All this gives the music a freshness and an excitement that is very special.
The season begins on Tuesday 17th September at the Lamp Tavern with a Fizzle double bill featuring a duo between Andy Woodhead on piano and Hannah Marshall on cello and a quartet featuring four young improvisers: Filippo Radicchi, drums, David Sear, trombone, Alex Astbury, trumpet and bass and Lee Griffiths saxophone.
