Bassist Arild Andersen is now 78 but relishes the opportunity to work with and nurture younger musicians. His new ensemble was born when Danish drummer Daniel Sommer, who is 37, invited Andersen to work on a project during his studies at the Danish National Academy of Music. Guitarist Rob Luft might be a mere 30 but he impressed both men with his live performances in Ireland and Norway, so Andersen suggested the duo became a trio.
Spontaneous, almost as if playing live, the three musicians blur the lines of conventional trio roles and play with instrumental dexterity and coherence, celebrating jazz as a fluid and versatile form of expression. Throughout, their collective sound expands considerably as they flow across and between genres, for there is a world of textures in this music, of folk and modern ECM poise, of insistent grooves, and innovative contemporary jazz.
Luft inevitably dominates with his intricately overdubbed layers of acoustic guitar, echoing reverb and contrapuntal melodies, Bill Frisell-style with his chiming chords and rural odysseys, while Sommer is both equal partner and nuanced timekeeper, notably proving his worth on the melodically strong Ea and the clattering, windy A Day In March. And throughout are Andersen’s warm, expansive bass lines, filling all the space available, his solo on North Wind particularly fine, his sonic dominance established on Basslines.
This release is intended by Sommer to be the first chapter in a trilogy that aims to capture and document Nordic improvisation and composition across three carefully arranged ensembles. As Time Passes is a great start to a highly promising project.
Discography
As Time Passes; Ea; Fifth Winter; North Wind; Basslines; Meditation; Evening Song; A Day In March (46.04)
Arild Andersen (b); Rob Luft (elg); Daniel Sommer (d). Copenhagen, 9–10 March 2023.
April Records APR127
