Our Songs – the recent Storyville release from the Danish trio of Alex Riel (d), Bo Stief (b) and Dahl (p) – began with a finely pitched version of Jarrett’s My Song, the title track of his 1977 ECM recording with Jan Garbarek, Palle Danielsson and Jon Christensen. As my JJ review revealed, I was much taken by Our Songs. Happily, the present album is no less rewarding.
No matter if the title of this latest release from Dahl is a touch brain-scrambling: there is nothing here from Jarrett’s The Melody At Night, With You, for example. From first note to last this superbly recorded concert recording eschews any particular matter of pastiche to summon instead, in its own shape-shifting register, the genre-slipping- and-melding spirit of Jarrett’s art. A terrific jazz quintet, featuring some of Denmark’s finest – each as able to stretch out and burn as they are sensitive to matters of space, atmosphere and lyricism (sample Mikkelborg’s ultra- distilled take on When I Fall In Love) – is at various times complemented by a sonorous and most dynamically aware, rhythmically and chromatically compelling string quartet.
If the result (hear Opening, Allentown Blues and Mikkelborg’s The Mysterious Corona) can conjure transmuted shades of early strings-fed Jarrett meditations such as Visions and the complementary title track of the 1971 Expectations, the strings-enhanced music is also able to dig deep into the no-nonsense grooves of electro-Miles territory like Live Evil, on which Jarrett appeared: hear Evil Speak & Adonis. And don’t miss the tartly interwoven figures of the free-charged, urgently propulsive Polyphonistic Nightmares.
Sample the opening minutes of Flying Away for a pianistic energy which can recall Cecil Taylor as much as Jarrett, or turn to the 10-minute Little Song For Fredrik to enjoy an organic shift from a lyricism redolent of Country from My Song to potent figures sprung off a vamp reminiscent of that which underpinned Long As You Know You’re Living Yours from Jarrett’s 1974 Belonging session with Garbarek, Danielsson and Christensen. Unmissable!
Discography
Opening; When I Fall In Love; Flying Away & Song For Keith; Bass – Anity; Allentown Blues; Polyphonistic Nightmares; Drum Dance; The Mysterious Coronka; Evil Speak & Adonis; Little Song For Fredrik; October Song; Prism; Over The Rainbow (63.37)
Dahl (p, kyb) with (variously) Palle Mikkelborg (t); Fredrik Lundin (ts) Nils Bo Davidsen (b, elb); Stefan Pasborg (d); Ana Feitosa (vn); Sanna Riatti (vla); Jonathan Slaatto (clo) Matthew Jons (vn). Copenhagen, 10 July 2019.
Storyville 1014353
