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Friends & Neighbors: Circles

By Mark Corroto
April 12, 2024
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Let's talk about Bird. Bird, not as in the sobriquet given to

Charlie Parker

saxophone, alto
1920 - 1955

" data-original-title="" title="">Charlie Parker but the actions of a bird, such as a parrot. Many a musician mechanically repeats the music of their musical heroes. For example, after Parker, we hear

Phil Woods

saxophone, alto
1931 - 2015

" data-original-title="" title="">Phil Woods and

Sonny Stitt

saxophone
1924 - 1982

" data-original-title="" title="">Sonny Stitt recycling bebop. The

Miles Davis

trumpet
1926 - 1991

" data-original-title="" title="">Miles Davis' quintet of the 1960s begat the so-called young lions of the 1980s and 90s repeating the discoveries of post-bop jazz. So, when a Scandinavian quintet chooses a band name such as Friends & Neighbors, a reference to the 1970 recording and composition by

Ornette Coleman

saxophone, alto
1930 - 2015

" data-original-title="" title="">Ornette Coleman, you might hesitate with the parrot factor in mind. Please don't, because rather than repeat a style this quintet builds a new house upon its foundations. In this case it is the innovations of Coleman,

Cecil Taylor

piano
1929 - 2018

" data-original-title="" title="">Cecil Taylor,

Bobby Bradford

trumpet
b.1934

" data-original-title="" title="">Bobby Bradford/

John Carter

clarinet
b.1929

" data-original-title="" title="">John Carter and

Dewey Redman

saxophone, tenor
b.1931

" data-original-title="" title="">Dewey Redman/

Don Cherry

trumpet
1936 - 1995

" data-original-title="" title="">Don Cherry that are amplified.

Circles follows The Earth Is # (Clean Feed, 2021) and is the quintet's sixth recording. Besides a stable lineup, each musician contributes compositions to this session. Opening with "Cecil," and a sprinkling of Cecil Taylor's keyboard plunk and dance, the quintet articulates both a shambolic and organized sound. The music is both free and disciplined at the same time as if the compositions are saying we digested revolutionary ideas of the 1960s, let's now polish them a bit. The title track has the fragrance of

Pharoah Sanders

saxophone, tenor
1940 - 2022

" data-original-title="" title="">Pharoah Sanders and

Albert Ayler

saxophone, tenor
1936 - 1970

" data-original-title="" title="">Albert Ayler with the trumpet of

Thomas Johansson

trumpet
b.1983

" data-original-title="" title="">Thomas Johansson then

Andre Roligheten

saxophone
b.1985

" data-original-title="" title="">Andre Roligheten's constructions. "Latin Phonetics" pairs

Tollef Østvang

drums

" data-original-title="" title="">Tollef ?stvang's drums with first

Oscar Grönberg

piano

" data-original-title="" title="">Oscar Gr?nberg's piano attack followed by a tight ensemble sound that spins outward with solos by Johansson and Roligheten. While we use iconic jazz musicians as references for this music, this quintet Friends & Neighbors is nothing if not original. Bassist

Jon Rune Strøm

bass, acoustic
b.1985

" data-original-title="" title="">Jon Rune Str?m's "Hymn Infinitum" trades in a melancholic mellowness that resides both as a chamber music piece and improvisatory platform. The music is fearless and original as it flies in a parrot-free zone.

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Track Listing

Cecil; Circles; Ghost March; Son; Charles; Hymn Infinitum; Latin Phonetics.

Personnel

Friends & Neighbors

band / ensemble / orchestra

Andre Roligheten

saxophone

Thomas Johansson

trumpet

Oscar Gr?nberg

piano

Jon Rune Str?m

bass, acoustic

Tollef ?stvang

drums

Album information

Title: Circles | Year Released: 2024 | Record Label: Clean Feed

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