Knut Reiersrud and Geir Sundstøl: Purcell, Sannhet, Løgn Og Dårlig Hukommelse
In their search for the perfect twang for their new album, Knut Reiersrud and Geir Sundstøl use a wide range of guitars and similar plucked instruments. Most of these are referred to by their brand name – Euphone Olympic Archtop, Gibson ES 175 Hollow Body or National Duolian – and, with the exception of an oud, are the sort of guitars associated mainly with bluegrass and country music. But Reiersrud and Sundstøl are Norwegian and not playing a tribute to Dolly Parton but improvising on tunes by the 17th-century English composer, Henry Purcell. The title translates to “Purcell. Truth, Lies and Bad Memory”. Some people might find the idea of Norwegians playing Purcell on a steel guitar laughable but the resulting music is more sublime than ridiculous.
People have jazzed up Purcell before – the baroque ensemble L’Arpeggiata, featuring Wolfgang Muthspiel on guitar, for example. But this album concentrates on the rhythmic possibilities and dance elements in Purcell’s music. Reiersrud and Sundstøl are attracted by Purcell’s melodic invention, and they provide plenty of melodic invention of their own.
These are not showy players. No virtuosic displays here, but it takes skill to give the impression of graceful simplicity. This album is about a delicate, considered approach to texture and melody. Sometimes the players pick on a simple phrase plucked from an obscure Purcell’s composition and burnish the melody with elegant and sensitive variations. At other times they arrange the whole melody, repackaging it with a gentle intimacy.
Dido’s Lament is probably Purcell’s greatest hit and many Purcell fans might feel its beauty does not need a makeover from two Norwegian guitarists. But the notes of the steel guitar bend in a keening lament you could never find in classical performance. This is powerful, imaginative exploration of the guitar’s expressive potential. Throughout there is a feeling of intimacy. We are barely aware of the overdubs. This sounds like two guitarists sitting quietly in a room, coaxing beautiful melodies from their large collection of instruments for their own enjoyment – and ours.
Discography
Den Gordiske Knut; Didos Lament; Sørgemarsj; Timon Fra Athen; Passacaglia; Jerusalem; Eventyrdronningen; Maurernes Hevn; Gift I Bø (37.57)
Reiersrud (g, elb, minimoog, hca, oud); Sundstøl (g, md, timpani, tubular bells, bass hca, fretless bj). Studio Intim (Sundstøl’s home studio), Oslo, March 2025.
Elevator Music/Grappa
Volkan Kaplan & Rembrandt Trio: The Anatolian And Caspian Suites
The baglama and tar are instruments not normally associated with jazz. Both are long-necked, lute-like instruments with moveable frets. The baglama is from an Anatolian minstrel tradition and the tar is a courtly instrument from Azerbaijan. Turkey-born Volkan Kaplan is a leading exponent of both. The title of this, his most recent album, recorded with the Dutch Rembrandt Trio, is appropriate.
The folk music normally played on these instruments is modal, often microtonal, and traditionally organised into suites, much like dance suites in baroque classical music. Kaplan is a virtuoso; his playing has a wide expressive range. Whether he is playing stirring and often complicated dance rhythms or melancholic lyrical melodies his playing brims with feeling. But it is the collaboration with Dutch jazz pianist Rembrandt Frerichs that transforms this recording from world music to contemporary jazz.
Frerichs is an ideal collaborator. An internationally recognised jazz pianist in his own right, he has a specific interest in the music of the Middle East and western Asia, having spent two years in Cairo. He has most of the arranging credits on the album, as well a composition credit for the opening track, A Wind Invisible, which could easily be mistaken for a traditional folk tune. His trio provide the perfect home for Kaplan’s playing, shaping and developing the tunes, opening them up for improvisation, and Frerichs adds some fine solos of his own. This is demonstrated most effectively in the beautiful Dervish Khan, where Frerichs begins comping chords beneath Kaplan’s plangent tune before the two players engage in a lovely improvised counterpoint accompanied by tinkling percussion.
Much of this style of music is full of breakneck tremolo and fast-changing rhythms, placing serious demands on drummer andpercussionist Vinsent Planjer, who rises to the challenge and provides some impressive rhythmic pyrotechnics, particularly on Cargah Part 1. Altogether, well worth a listen.
Discography
A Wind Invisible; Minstrel Suite; Eid Suite; Dervish Khan; Black Sea Part 1; Black Sea Part 2; Cargah Part 1; Cargah Part 2; Cargah Part 3; Steppe Suite; Bayati Shiraz Suite; Laçin; Shushter (51.00)
Kaplan (v, tar, baglama); Frerichs (p, harm); Tony Overwater (b, vn); Planjer (d, pc). Wisseloord Studio A, Hilversum, 6 December 2025.
Volkan Kaplan Production
Emil Ingmar: Polaroids
Emil Ingmar’s new album, Polaroids, is full of simple tunes played with little adornment – no long solos, no elaborate time signatures, no bursts of spectacular virtuosity, no showing off, just catchy melodies and relaxed grooves. It’s easy to listen to. Not all music has to be edgy. One lyrical tune follows another, but Ingmar knows how to ring the changes. This is primarily a recording of a trio, with a few overdubs and minimal synthetic additions. And it’s clear from the start that these are players who have played together and have a sympathetic, responsive understanding. Ingmar carries most of the melodies – they are his compositions. But bassist Fredrik Jonsson has his moment in the sun, carrying the tune beautifully on the bass on Bjurtjärn.
The trio is joined twice by a saxophone and once by a trombone, which gives the music not just a breadth of sound but also the opportunity to build to a climax. Ingmar plays a vocal synth in Polar which adds a little drama. This is predominantly understated music. Drummer Calle Rasmussen keeps a low profile, ever supporting without intruding, yet providing a solid groove on those tracks that show the influence of R&B. This is only a gentle influence. Everything about this album is gentle. It owes more to a pop than to a jazz tradition. The influence of folk is clear in Bjurtjärn, which could almost be a Scottish air. Stone Skippers contains elements of R&B.
The playing of the trio can sometimes sound a bit like E.S.T at their most mellow. Jazz fans may look for more development, more passion, perhaps, but they should not overlook the appeal of well-crafted melodies, played sensitively and unpretentiously. An enjoyable listen.
Discography
Polaroids; Bjurtjärn; June; Birch Song; The Country; Stone Skippers; Little Sister; Where Did You Go; Long Days, Short Years; Polar; Home; Polaroids – Outro (41.11)
Ingmar (p, kyb, vocal syn); Jonsson (b, elb); Rasmussen (d); Jonas Knutsson (as); Markus Ahlberg (tb). Kingside Studio, Onesta, April 2025.
Elle Street Records
