Home » Jazz Articles » Album Review » Hanna Paulsberg Concept: Waltz for Lilli

Hanna Paulsberg Concept: Waltz for Lilli

By John Kelman
January 21, 2013
View read count

Hanna Paulsberg Concept: Waltz for Lilli

Norway's place on the international jazz map has been assured for decades: first with saxophonist

Jan Garbarek

saxophone
b.1947

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

Terje Rypdal

guitar
b.1947

" data-original-title="" title="">Terje Rypdal and bassist

Arild Andersen

bass, acoustic
b.1945

" data-original-title="" title="">Arild Andersen; then, a second wave including trumpeters

Arve Henriksen

trumpet
b.1968

" data-original-title="" title="">Arve Henriksen and

Nils Petter Molvaer

trumpet
b.1960

" data-original-title="" title="">Nils Petter Molvaer, and pianists

Bugge Wesseltoft

piano
b.1964

" data-original-title="" title="">Bugge Wesseltoft and

Christian Wallumrod

piano
b.1971

" data-original-title="" title="">Christian Wallumrod; and, more recently, in another wave featuring

In The Country

band / ensemble / orchestra

" data-original-title="" title="">In The Country and

" data-original-title="" title="">Splashgirl. Still, its scene has often seemed distanced from the American tradition that nevertheless resides at the core of many of these players. Enter saxophonist Hanna Paulsberg and Waltz for Lilli, which suggests that it's possible to revere that tradition and, at the same time, forge your own culture-rich identity.

The twenty-something Paulsberg is already an alum of the

Trondheim Jazz Orchestra

band / ensemble / orchestra
b.2000

" data-original-title="" title="">Trondheim Jazz Orchestra, most recently in collaboration with keyboardist St?le Storl?kken and psychedelic space-rock outfit

Motorpsycho

" data-original-title="" title="">Motorpsycho at the 2010 Molde Jazz Festival and the resulting The Death Defying Unicorn (Rune Grammofon, 2012). Despite Paulsen finding herself in a multiplicity of contexts, her allegiance to the jazz tradition is abundantly clear with Hanna Paulsberg Concept (HPC), also featuring three other recognition-worthy young Scandinavians. Waltz for Lilli is many things, but one of them is that it swings—and when it swings, it swings hard.

Over the course of six Paulsberg originals, HPC also demonstrates a strong allegiance to melody. The opening modal title track burns with feverish energy, thanks to the firm but open-ended anchor provided by bassist Trygve Waldemar Fiske and freewheeling drummer Hans Hulb?kmo, but when it comes to soloing, Paulsberg favors careful choices over unfettered virtuosity. Combined with pianist Oscar Gr?nberg—who blends

McCoy Tyner

piano
1938 - 2020

" data-original-title="" title="">McCoy Tyner-informed, block-chord accompaniment with sparer Nordic lyricism—it suggests how

John Coltrane

saxophone
1926 - 1967

" data-original-title="" title="">John Coltrane might have sounded, had he opted for space and decay rather than sheets of sound. Paulsberg's attention to tone was inspired, no doubt, from antecedents like Garbarek and

Tore Brunborg

saxophone
b.1960

" data-original-title="" title="">Tore Brunborg—without sounding like either—and gives her a unique ability to sear without speed.

Paulsberg's writing is deceptive; enticing, often with seemingly simple concepts, its layers unfold across repeated listens. "Potters Lullaby" starts with a simple percussion motif that becomes more complex when first Gr?nberg and then Fiske join in for a rhythmically contrary unison line; when Paulsberg enters, it's yet another simple idea that, interlocking with the rest of her band mates, turns into something far deeper. "Sang til Pastor Wang" begins as a spare piano/sax duet, a rubato tone poem setting the stage for the first of two bass solos that assert Fiske as far more than mere rhythm section partner, playing off Gr?nberg with the kind of profound empathy that normally comes from far more experience and longevity. It's no wonder HPC won the Young Nordic Jazz Competition at the 2011 Trondheim Jazz Festival.

The other track to feature Fiske is the closing "Mufasa," an even darker tune that, in its choice to end in a whisper—Paulsberg's tenor becoming increasingly breathy until that's all that's left—closes what would have easily been included as a Best of 2012 "New Discovery." It may only be January, but Hanna Paulsberg Concept's auspicious debut already looks like a shoe-in for 2013's year-end list.

Learn more about our star rating system

Track Listing

Waltz for Lilli; Potters Lullaby; Sang til Pastor Wang; Noahs Tune; A trip to the brown castle; Mufasa.

Personnel

Hanna Paulsberg

saxophone, tenor

Hanna Paulsberg: saxophone; Trygve Waldemar Fiske: acoustic bass; Oscar Gr?nberg: piano; Hans Hulb?kmo: drums.

Album information

Title: Waltz for Lilli | Year Released: 2013 | Record Label: Ora Fonogram

PREVIOUS / NEXT

Alan Wilkinson/John Edwards/Steve No...
< Previous

Live In Chicago
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.