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Losen Records: Jazz Around the World
Svelia Transitions
Losen Records
2015
Svelia is a band of musicians with ties to Sweden and Australia. On their album, Transitions, they are able to combine hushed lyrical beauty with avant-garde excursions and rhythmical energy. An example is "Fragmented Memories." It starts with rolling waves of piano and rustling percussion and singer
Casey Moir
vocalsb.1984
Casey Moir is able to sculpt her voice like an instrument while the members of the band take the music in different directions. The mood changes and the music ebbs and flows, but it feels like organic movements born out of necessity rather than aimless experiments. Svelia is creating a world of sound that is all their own, but it does not become hermetic. Instead, it is music that reaches out and wants to communicate with all the diverse emotions in the human vocabulary.
?ystein Blix It's OK to Play
Losen Records
2015
Like Svelia, trombonist ?ystein Blix also traverses the difficult path between accessibility and experiments with success. On his debut as a leader, It's Ok to Play, he is joined by guitarist Nils-Olav Johansen and veteran drummer and percussionist
Audun Kleive
drumsThere is a lyrical feeling of wide open landscapes on the album where Blix blows soft, long tones on his instrument while Nils-Olav Johansen's twangy guitar sometimes is reminiscent of
Ry Cooder
guitarb.1947
Kleive's rhythmical energy prevents the music from growing completely into silence and his percussive patterns on the title track blends echoing electronic beats and oriental drum sounds to a point where it becomes hard to distinguish between the acoustic and electronic sources. On "Falk i svev" he plays a gong with meditative sounds of blowing wind in the background. It takes a while before Blix enters with a deep blue trombone line that disappears without a trace, like lines written in water.
This is modern day blues and world music echoing through hills, mountains and rivers. Blix, Kleive and Johansen are subtle sound explorers who know the importance of silence. When they do play, it is more than ok.
Steinar Aadnekvam Freedoms Tree
Losen Records
2015
Acoustic guitarist
Steinar Aadnekvam
guitarb.1984
On "Hillside," the good feeling continues with Peter Fredman's dancing flute motifs and lively percussion. The full crossover potential of the record is revealed on two fine pop confections, "You are my Sunshine and my Smile" and "Dare to Dream," where Aadnekvam successfully tries his luck as a singer. On Agredecendo, he steps aside and lets violinist Santiago Jimenez Borges swirling violin take the spotlight.
There is also room for a funky little tune with a deeper message. In the notes, Aadnekvam describes his reason for writing the piece "Ecology": "'Ecology' is an alarm call about the state of our planet. Its 12/8 afro groove holds a 'broken' blues chorus and its lyrical passages remind us what is beautiful, while its cutting rhythms and suggestive mood remind us of the urgency of our collective problem."
However, problems are not at the core of the album. Freedoms Tree is a smooth record that is easy on the ear.
Erik Thormod Halvorsen Uppercase
Losen Records
2015
Trumpeter Erik Thormod Halvorsen is another musician with a talent for writing catchy themes. At the age of 64, he presents a debut filled with musical talent and sense of tradition. His love of bossa, bop and big band music shine through, but the most surprising thing is the genre-bending delicacy of the opener "Sweet Martina." It opens as a ballad with marching drums and muted trumpet before it becomes a soulful piano vamp with nods to Marvin Gaye, but the changes continue as a drum break announces a section with inspiration from
Miles Davis
trumpet1926 - 1991
Thormod Halvorsen is also fond of the standards and delivers a sprightly version of "Love for Sale," with punchy horn lines and Latinized piano rhythms, and saxophonist Rune Nicolaysen shines with a swinging solo. On "E.T.H. Bossa Nova," Nicolaysen gives his own personal take on a familiar genre and begins the composition as a smoky ballad before the instantly recognizable Brazilian rhythms break through.
There is also a healthy dose of bop. "Kari i Nice" is Thormod Halvorsen's homage to the music made famous by
Charlie Parker
saxophone, alto1920 - 1955
Horace Silver
piano1928 - 2014
Erik Thormod Halvorson has said that he chose the title of the album, Uppercase, because he believes in clean speech and clean and simple lines. The album speaks clearly with a passion for music that is hard to resist.
Olga Konkova Trio The Goldilocks Zone
Losen Records
2015
Olga Konkova
pianob.1969
Per Mathisen
bass
Gary Husband
drumsb.1960
Beauty takes many shapes on the album. For instance, "The Retina Nebula," which is part of the "The Goldilocks Zone Suite," starts with broad and bombastic strokes from drums and piano, but also enter a quit and lyrical territory where the piano gently sings, but there are massive forces at play in the piece where an inspiration from Thelonious Monk is felt in Konkova's playing.
However, Konkova cannot be connected with a particular musical school. Her music has the deep pathos of the Russian masters like Rachmaninov, whose rolling thunder is referenced in the beginning of "People of Bwiti," but there is also a fairytale-like beauty that becomes almost ethereal on the hushed, echoing chords of the opening of "Kepler 22B" where Husband lets the cymbals whisper.
The choice of Gary Husband adds drama and development to the musical narrative and Mathisen's grooves are solid and deep. His huge tone anchors the compositions. He does not drown in the big sound of Konkova and Husband, but contributes to the almost orchestral sound of the trio. The Goldilocks Zone is a special record that creates its own musical universe.
Ivan Mazuze Ubuntu
Losen Records
2015
Sometimes you just have to surrender completely to a song. This is the case with the wonderful "The Republic of Dongo" by South African saxophonist Ivan Mazuze. There's a fast-paced rhythm from the start, with drummer Frank Paco in charge, while Mazuze blows away on his horn before the music explodes in a break and Peter Ndlala's elastic, funky basslines announce a slower rhythm and Mazuze plays a melodic riff that is simply irresistible, with its sophisticated expression of a musical joie de vivre.
The song is one of many great pieces on the album Ubuntu. It brims with rhythm and melody and features various 6/8 time signatures from Africa. Ubuntu is a South African word (Xhosa, Zulu) and refers to a quality connected with human virtues, such as compassion and humanity. This is reflected in the warm sounds, the energy and the joy of the music. It is music that connects rather than divides.
The album features the guitar of
Jacob Young
guitarb.1970
The meeting between Young and Mazuze on Ubuntu underlines that music knows no geographical boundaries and the same can be said about Odd Gjelsnes' Losen Records. His label has become a truly international project simply based on the love of good music.
Tracks and Personnel
Transitions
Tracks: Knight in Armour; Rapid; Indescribable; Grief; Fragmented Memories; Stories; Don't Rush to Fall; Know.
Personnel: Casey Moir: voice; Reuben Lewis: trumpet; Luke Sweeting; Johan Moir: double bass; Aiden Lowe: drums.
It's OK to Play
Tracks: Lille korall; Kom kua; It's OK to Play; Falk I svev; Road Movie; Kintsukuroi; Tres Hombres; Tisaika; Quiet Water.
Personnel: ?ystein Blix: trombone; Nils-Olav Johansen: guitar; Audun Kleive: drums, percussion, electronics.
Freedoms Tree
Tracks: Cold Shower; Hillside; Viva Sagui; You Are My Sunshine and my Smile; Agradecendo; Ecology; Come with Me; Dare to Dream.
Personnel: Steinar Aadnekvam: acoustic guitar, voice, whistling; Jonatan Guzman: piano; Patric Thorman: bass; Deodato Siquir: drums, percussion, voice; Peter Fredman: flute, alto saxophone; Gustav Orphée Noah: lead vocals, whistling; Santiago Jimenez Borges: violin; Mathias St?hl: vibraphone; Cecilia Linné: cello.
Uppercase
Tracks: Sweet Martina; Mr. G.J.; Love for Sale; E.T.H. Bossa Nova; Kari i Nice; Close Enough for Love; 3. Dag; Out of the Night Came You; E.T.; Old Folks; East of the Sun;
Personnel: Erik Thormod Halvorsen: trumpet, flugelhorn; Rune A. Nicolaysen: tenor saxophone, flute; Freddy Hoel Nilsen: piano; Knut Mikalsen: guitar; Louis Stewart: guitar; Frode Kjekstad: guitar; Sture Janson: bass; Andreas Dreier: bass; Lars Erik Norum: drums; Erik J?kling: drums; Johan Bergli: baritone saxophone; Harald Halvorsen: trombone.
The Goldilocks Zone
Tracks: Nardissism; Moscow Tears; The Pillars of Creation; Havvil; The Retina Nebula; People of Bwiti; The Goldilocks Zone; Kepler 22B; Forgotten Future; Casa de Che; Matangi.
Personnel: Olga Konkova: piano; Per Mathisen: acoustic bass; Gary Husband: drums. p> Ubuntu
Tracks: Inta Mutlhangela; Dancing with Malala; Ubuntu; My Two Northern Lights; The Republic of Dongo; Water; Kulhula; Malecon; A Short Piece; Hamba Kahle; Celebration; Talking to Myself.
Personnel: Ivan Mazuzu: alto, soprano and tenor saxophones, flute and hand claps; Jacob Young: electric and acoustic guitar (#1, #2, #3, #4, #7, #10, #12); Michael Bloch: acoustic piano (#6, #8, #9, #12); Sifiso Makalisa: acoustic piano (#1, #2, #3, #4, #5, #7, #12); Peter Ndlala: electric bass; Frank Paco: drums; Sidiki Camara: balafone (#11).
Tags
Multiple Reviews
Jakob Baekgaard
Norway
Oslo
Casey Moir
Audun Kleive
Ry Cooder
Steinar Aadnekvam
Miles Davis
Charlie Parker
Horace Silver
Olga Konkova
Per Mathisen
Gary Husband
Jacob Young
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