Ivar Grydeland: Bøyning, Brytning
Norway is a wealthy country with a small population, that punches culturally well above it weight. Talented musicians are nurtured and prosper. Guitarist Ivar Grydeland is a leading presence in its experimental scene. He works with Dans Les Arbes and Huntsville, and has recorded solo. Bøyning, Brytning – “Bending, Breaking” – is his third solo release; the title refers to how light bends and refracts. Grydeland follows so-called New Complexity composers such as Ferneyhough and Finnissy in aiming to play beyond his technical means. In his case, he uses a technical setup designed to elude his control: digital and analogue equipment created over the years, which generates erratic responses to his playing on guitars (pedal steel, electric and Portuguese) and electronics.
Grydeland’s second solo album, Stop Freeze Wait Eat from 2017, imitated the feeling of playing with others through use of electronic delay. On this album he develops that approach, but also with an actual partner on the opening and longest track Virkning Av Lysets Bøyning (“Effect Of The Light’s Curving”). It’s a lugubrious 17-minute improvisation, with Norway-based percussionist Michaela Antalová creating a doom-laden groove, if that’s the right word. Glitches becomes more prominent, to haunting and eventful effect – a remarkable achievement.
The brief, plangent Fordums Streng (“Ancient String”), in ad lib tempo, is constructed from patterns of resonance. Virkning Av Lysets Brytning (“Effect Of The Light’s Refraction”) is built of mechanical grooves filled with glitches. On Ringer I Ringer Av Vann (“Rings In Rings Of Water”), fractured layers of pulses are mixed with quiet electronic pops. Snyt Meg Langsommere (“Blow Slowly”) is a short coda. This is a striking release, and I need to listen more, to develop a critical vocabulary better-suited to its delights. But certainly it’s a beautifully fashioned and brilliantly conceived release.
Discography
Virkning Av Lysets Boyning; Fordums Streng; Virkning Av Lysets Brytning; Ringer I Ringer I Vann; Snyt Meg Langsommere (35.00)
Grydeland (g); Michaela Antalová (pc). Nessoden, Norway, 2023-4.
Sofa Music SOFA607
Rahsaan Roland Kirk: Vibrations In The Village – Live At The Village Gate
An historic 1963 recording, never previously issued. Made for a documentary but not used, the tapes lay in storage until recently restored. Roland Kirk was born Ronald Kirk in 1935 – not, as often claimed, 1936 – and was blind from the age of two. While a teen he discovered manzello and stritch; modifying the keys of his tenor saxophone, he played all three instruments at once. He worked with Mingus in 1961, and in 1967 on the soundtrack of the film classic In The Heat Of The Night. From 1969 he called himself Rahsaan Roland Kirk. He was an early jazz hero of mine, and I recall his heroic struggle to play following a stroke. He died, aged 42, in 1977.
The album’s sound quality is variable, but it’s worth enduring occasional lo-fi to hear Kirk’s incredible multi-instrumentalism. I am less fond of his tenor playing, as on Ecclusiastics and All The Things You Are, because of its buzzy tone. However, for Barry Kernfeld in his New Grove entry, Kirk is one of the finest hard-bop tenor saxophonists – so I’ll have to rethink my reservations. He was certainly a great jazz flautist, with his vocalised tone and rapid tonguing. Kernfeld also comments that he “was often, and wrongfully, accused of perpetrating non-musical gimmickry”. That might include his outrageous quotes, fully in evidence here.
The album features stellar musicians including pianist Horace Parlan and bassist Henry Grimes, the latter from the early part of his curiously interrupted career. High points are two long tracks, the catchy Kirk’s Delight, and the intensely moving, hypnotic Oboe Blues. The latter begins with a multi-instrumental introduction, then – most movingly – with solo oboe. Kirk was one of the few players to make the oboe sound like a jazz instrument. Despite technical shortcomings, Vibrations In The Village is a very worthwhile release.
Discography
Jump Up And Down – Fast; Ecclusiastics; All The Things You Are; Laura; Kirk’s Delight; Oboe Blues; Blues Minor At The Gate; Falling In Love With Love; Three For The Festival (78.00)
Rahsaan Roland Kirk (ts, stritch, manzello, f); Horace Parlan, Melvin Rhyne, Jane Getz (p); Henry Grimes (b); Sonny Brown (d). New York City, 26-27 November 1963.
Resonance HCD-2081/HLP-9081
Gregory Groover Jr: Old Knew
Old Knew is Gregory Groover’s follow-up to his 2024 Criss Cross debut Lovabye. The latter features vibraharpist Joel Ross, who appears on the new album, but the rhythm team – Aaron Parks, Vicente Archer and Marcus Gilmore – is different. At 32, Groover is one of the most compelling younger saxophonists. He teaches at Berklee College of Music, while his father – who had a great musical influence on him – is a minister, who still preaches at Charles Street AME Church in Boston. Groover’s 2019 album, Negro Spiritual Songbook, Vol. 2, imagined spirituals as living theology – parallels here with the faith of Mary Lou Williams and John Coltrane.
For all its gravity, the album radiates joy. The two opening tracks are highlights for me, and on both, vibraharpist Joel Ross is almost an equal partner to the leader. The memorable and stirring Spaces is built on a powerful vamp, while the minor-key 551 reminds me of Blue Note classics of the 60s, and should be taken up as a jazz standard. The presence of a pianist and vibraharpist is reminiscent of the Blue Note classics that feature Andrew Hill and Bobby Hutcherson. Paul Cornish’s solo on 551 is particularly attractive, with its catchy exploration of the tricky theme.
The angular Juanita And Betty, with its quicksilver changes in which Joel Ross plays a leading role, is a brief delight. William And Vinson opens with a characterful solo by Paul Cornish, who is developing into a fine young pianist. The mid-tempo minor-key title track is a subtle but memorable affair, with a gorgeous solo by the leader – his tone is strong and beautiful throughout the album, his invention strong. The album is a beautifully recorded exploration of state of the art postbop, that shows the high quality of Criss Cross releases – highly recommended.
Discography
Spaces; 551; Go For Broke; Rain Shall Fall; Retrograde; Sumner; Good Sir; Juanita And Betty; William And Vinson; Old Knew; Arrivals (54.00)
Groover (ts); Joel Ross (vib); Paul Cornish (p); Harish Raghavan (b); Kendrick Scott (d). New York City, 6 January 2025.
Criss Cross 1428 CD
