Home » Jazz Articles » Album Review » Eyes of a Blue Dog: Rise

Eyes of a Blue Dog: Rise

By John Kelman
May 14, 2013
View read count

As disproportionate as the amount of fine music being made in Norway is to its relatively small population of five million, so, too, is its surprisingly large cadre of outstanding drummers. A quick scan through the list of drummers who have made some kind of name for themselves, both at home and abroad, include—amongst many, many others—

Audun Kleive

drums

" data-original-title="" title="">Audun Kleive (

Terje Rypdal

guitar
b.1947

" data-original-title="" title="">Terje Rypdal,

Nils Petter Molvaer

trumpet
b.1960

" data-original-title="" title="">Nils Petter Molvaer),

Per Oddvar Johansen

drums

" data-original-title="" title="">Per Oddvar Johansen (

The Source

" data-original-title="" title="">The Source,

Christian Wallumrod

piano
b.1971

" data-original-title="" title="">Christian Wallumrod Ensemble),

Erland Dahlen

drums
b.1971

" data-original-title="" title="">Erland Dahlen (Molv?r,

Eivind Aarset

guitar

" data-original-title="" title="">Eivind Aarset Sonic Codex Orchestra),

Torstein Lofthus

drums

" data-original-title="" title="">Torstein Lofthus (

Elephant9

band / ensemble / orchestra

" data-original-title="" title="">Elephant9,

Mathias Eick

trumpet
b.1979

" data-original-title="" title="">Mathias Eick) and, of course, the drummer who started it all,

Jon Christensen

drums
1943 - 2020

" data-original-title="" title="">Jon Christensen (

Jan Garbarek

saxophone
b.1947

" data-original-title="" title="">Jan Garbarek,

Bobo Stenson

piano
b.1944

" data-original-title="" title="">Bobo Stenson,

Keith Jarrett

piano
b.1945

" data-original-title="" title="">Keith Jarrett), helping put Norway on the map in the early '70s with a series of ECM recordings. Add to that list Terje Evensen, who has, relatively quietly, emerged on the scene after studies with

Martin France

drums
b.1964

" data-original-title="" title="">Martin France—ultimately contributing additional drums, electronics and programming to the British drummer's two very fine Spin Marvel records, Spin Marvel (Babel, 2007) and The Reluctantly Politicised Mr James (Edition, 2010).

The odd but compellingly titled Eyes of a Blue Dog—drawn from a short story by Latin American author Gabriel Garcia Marquez—and its debut, Rise, are already garnering international attention through its release on the UK's intrepid Babel Label. Essentially an instrumental duo, with

Elisabeth Nygaard

" data-original-title="" title="">Elisabeth Nygaard (Colin Riley's MooV) augmenting Evensen and British trumpeter/guitarist

Rory Simmons

" data-original-title="" title="">Rory Simmons (leader of the 10-piece LOOP collective third stream ensemble, Fringe Magnetic) contributing vocals to five of Rise's nine tracks (though the UK-based Swedish singer shares compositional co-credit for the entire set), rather than monolithically predicated on a single foundational premise, Rise stems from a multitude of touchstones, without losing either its focus or voice.

No surprise, given Evensen's broad purview, having toured with everyone from British saxophonist

Julian Arguelles

saxophone
b.1966

" data-original-title="" title="">Julian Arguelles to Peruvian guitarist Andr��s Prado, participating in live remixes at the annual Punkt Festival in Kristiansand, Norway and releasing a superb album of solo percussion and electronics, Still You. You Still Here. (fonorum, 2010). Moody ambient soundscapes, modernistic song forms and aggressive electro-stances are definitive throughout Rise, but Evensen not only demonstrates a strong sense of rhythm and color on more electrified songs like "Reject the Rhapsody" and the thundering pulse of "Falling," but similar deftness in the somewhat more acoustic context of "Marble Faces." Beginning with Simmons' looped guitar and layered trumpet, the tune gradually becomes an open-ended but clearly concentrated and connected improvisational foray between Evensen, Simmons and, on this track alone,

Chris Hill

" data-original-title="" title=""> Chris Hill—British singer

Jamie Cullum

vocals
b.1979

" data-original-title="" title="">Jamie Cullum's bassist since 2009—turning Rise's longest track into an instrumental highlight of the set.

With an appealing, burnished tone all his own, like Evensen, Simmons is equally adept across contexts, as informed by Nils Petter Molv?r's electrified lyricism ("Mai") as he is more abstruse melodism ("Little Pieces of Everything"). Nyg?rd combines a gossamer delicacy with more emphatic strength, her phrase-ending vibrato rendering the singer instantly recognizable.

A crossover record as comfortably categorized in contemporary experimental rock as ambient improvisational jazz territory, Rise is an impressive debut from a group that may just be getting started, but clearly has a very promising future on the road ahead.

Learn more about our star rating system

Track Listing

Mai; Rise; Marble Faces; Reject the Rhapsody; Nothing Dies With You; Little Piece of Everywhere; Deliverance; Knee; Falling.

Personnel

Eyes of a Blue Dog

Rory Simmons: trumpet, guitar, electronics; Terje Evensen: drums, electronics; Elisabeth Nyg?rd: vocals (2, 4, 5, 7, 9); Chris Hill: bass (3).

Album information

Title: Rise | Year Released: 2013 | Record Label: Babel Label

PREVIOUS / NEXT

Daniel Meron Quartet: New York, NY, ...
< Previous

Take Five With Armen Nalbandian
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.