Home » Jazz Articles » Album Review » Jonas Cambien's Maca Conu: Maca Conu

Jonas Cambien's Maca Conu: Maca Conu

By John Sharpe
July 13, 2024
View read count

While Oslo-based Belgian pianist

Jonas Cambien

piano

" data-original-title="" title="">Jonas Cambien's Maca Conu may be a new venture, it has a lot in common with his trio which made a series of acclaimed albums, including A Zoology of the Future (Clean Feed, 2016) and We Must Mustn't We (Clean Feed, 2018). Not least of that is down to the continued tenure of

Andreas Wildhagen

drums

" data-original-title="" title="">Andreas Wildhagen on the drum stool. Keeping him company are fellow Norwegian, bassist

Ingebrigt Håker Flaten

bass
b.1971

" data-original-title="" title="">Ingebrigt H?ker Flaten, perhaps still best known as one third of Scandinavian power trio The Thing, and in-demand Danish saxophonist

Signe Emmeluth

saxophone, alto

" data-original-title="" title="">Signe Emmeluth, as well as Cambien himself on both piano and organ.

Wildhagen's canny amalgams of timbre and cadence, often with an anarchic clattery edge, remain critical for Cambien's conception, where one of the main compositional tools is the intersection of stacked rhythms and sequences of angular interlocking phrases. The often wayward-inclined saxophone of Emmeluth proves another notable asset. Thanks to the excitement and unpredictability of her playing she has become almost a ubiquitous presence, leading not only her own dates, but also adding firepower to

Paal Nilssen-Love

drums
b.1974

" data-original-title="" title="">Paal Nilssen-Love's Circus,

Gard Nilssen

drums
b.1983

" data-original-title="" title="">Gard Nilssen's Supersonic Orchestra and

Andreas Roysum

" data-original-title="" title="">Andreas Roysum's Ensemble, to name just a few.

Cambien himself presents as an especially propulsive player. The inclusion of H?ker Flaten to supplement and reinforce the forward motion might be expected to free up Cambien. But if that happens it is less to solo than to contribute yet more layers. The opening "A Terrible Misunderstanding" exemplifies the band's modus operandi as saxophone, drums and piano jerkily navigate staggered unisons, with Emmeluth's fractious asides in the cracks suggesting she can barely be contained. The ensuing "Holy Fishtail" highlights another of the unit's characteristics: the relentless drive.

Although the group sometimes they maintain a particular feel for the duration, as on the primal stomp of "Blue Eyed Peco," they more often favor the sort of dizzying mix found on "Question The Answer," which veers from a skirling bagpipe vibe through a

Sun Ra

piano
1914 - 1993

" data-original-title="" title="">Sun Ra-style freakout, a rapid-fire drum tattoo, and a squiggling organ and saxophone duet, all capped by a concluding celebratory outburst. Special guest

Guro Kvåle

trombone

" data-original-title="" title="">Guro Kv?le's trombone interweaves with Emmeluth to pleasing effect on "Once Low Now High" and bulks out the front line on "Good Frenemy." Although H?ker Flaten enjoys an extended fleet-fingered excursion on "The Lesser Evil Is The One That Hits You," generally individual features are pithy and integrated.

Cambien's outfit bewitches and enthralls as it infuses tightly scripted charts with an air of exuberant spontaneity.

Learn more about our star rating system

Track Listing

A Terrible Misunderstanding; Holy Fishtail; Once Low Now High; Pseudoscience; Question The Answer; Blue Eyed Peco; The Lesser Evil Is The One That Hits You; Kontrakten; Good Frenemy.

Personnel

Jonas Cambien

piano

Andreas Wildhagen

drums

Signe Emmeluth

saxophone, alto

Ingerbrigt Haker Flaten

bass

Additional Instrumentation

Jonas Cambien: organ, soprano saxophone; Signe Emmeluth: tenor saxophone; Ingebrigt H?ker Flaten: minimoog; Guro Kv?le: trombone (3, 9).

Album information

Title: Maca Conu | Year Released: 2024 | Record Label: Clean Feed Records

PREVIOUS / NEXT

Byron Asher, New Orleans Klezmer All...
< Previous

Choro Choro Choro
Next >

Support All About Jazz

All About Jazz has been a pillar of jazz since 1995, championing it as an art form and, more importantly, supporting the musicians who make it. Our enduring commitment has made "AAJ" one of the most culturally important websites of its kind, read by hundreds of thousands of fans, musicians and industry figures every month.

Go Ad Free!

To maintain our platform while developing new means to foster jazz discovery and connectivity, we need your help. You can become a sustaining member for as little as $20 and in return, we'll immediately hide those pesky ads plus provide access to future articles for a full year. This winning combination vastly improves your AAJ experience and allow us to vigorously build on the pioneering work we first started in 1995. So enjoy an ad-free AAJ experience and help us remain a positive beacon for jazz by making a donation today.