Caktus x Ojkos: Øyeblikk
In an age in which first-world universities are seemingly churning out jazz graduates in big numbers we should consider not only how such graduates are likely to fare in the real world in terms of gaining an audience for their music, but also the degree to which their music is fresh – a loaded term given how hard it is, given the precedents, to be fresh in jazz. Against such considerations this is an outstanding release in the sense that the music has an identity capable of engaging both the head and the heart, and comes complete with a sense of intrigue which (I’ve discovered) ensures that repeated listening reaps ample rewards.
Clarinet and alto sax player Maria Dybbroe is responsible for all of the compositions, and such is her variety of influences, all of them not too overt, that the unsettled serenity of Kalvoya can incorporate Terry-Riley-like minimalism along with a reminder of Wadada Leo Smith’s works for larger ensembles. Indeed, Kalvoya blossoms out at around the four-minute mark by way of preamble to an uncredited trumpet solo, the progression is completely lacking in contrivance.
Across its 12-minute duration Min Have exhibits a knowledge of and appreciation for subtlety and nuance the likes of which are pretty rare in contemporary jazz. Distance is maintained from the dance floor, the furrowed brow and the stroked chin not least because while the music exhibits a cold, slightly forbidding surface, what lies beneath is heart and a sense of discovery which again are hardly notable in contemporary jazz.
If I could still see the point of end-of-year polls this one would undoubtedly be there or thereabouts. As this world is it’ll probably attract only a small fraction of the marketing dollars lavished upon more superficial music, along with a fraction of the uncritical endorsements the same stuff generates.
Discography
Staerk Strom; Kalvoya; Fornebu; Trollhattan; Min Have; Det Nye Ar (64.58)
Tancred Heyerdahl Huso, Lyder Ovreas Roed (t); Magnus Murphy Joelson, Johannes Fosse Solvang, Jorgen Bjelkerud (tb); Camille Hole (ss); Maria Dybbroe (cl, as); Sigrid Aftret (ts); Tina Legreid Olsen (cls, bs); Arne Martin Nybo (g); Thorbjorn Kaas (clo); Petter Asbjornsoen, Aleksander Hoholm (b); Knut Kvifte Nesheim (vib, d); Tobias Andreassen (d). Victoria Nasjonale Jazzscene, Oslo, Norway. No date(s).
Sonic Transmissions Records STRLP65
Ole Matthiessen: Subcurrents
Danish pianist Matthiessen, who celebrated his 80th birthday earlier this year, is a new name to me despite reaching this landmark. This compilation spanning the years from 1968 until 2023 is evidence of an accomplished musician who lacks the edge that would make his music compelling. Add to that the fact that the diversity of settings and line-ups ranges from contemplative piano solos (in the form of both title tracks) to an electro-acoustic group incorporating invented instruments, and what we have is an overview of an obvious long career.
That pair of title tracks, both of them being the most recently recorded (in November of 2025) effectively bookend the programme and come heavy with a lifetime of musical experience. No energy is wasted in grand gestures, but the lyrical core seems somehow diminished and lacking in the focus of the likes of Bill Evans and Geri Allen.
Tapping by the group Global Units is for me the most engaging thing here, and not merely because it’s music furthest from any facile notions of the tradition. The chance to cite the band Fifty Foot Hose as some kind of comparison doesn’t come along very often, but in this case it’s as pertinent as the music Miles Davis was making in the late 1960s and early 1970s.
The Poul Ehlers Quartet was recorded in late December of 1968 on Den Toppede Hone and proves itself capable of the kind of rolling expressionism that was of the time, albeit without much in the way of individuality, but then a duration of less than four minutes is hardly conducive to establishing anything much.
Discography
Subcurrent 1; Den Troppede Hone; Footloose; Istanbul Memories; One For Ben; Tapping; Subcurrent 2. (71.23)
Matthiessen (p, elp, modulator) with Erling Kroner (tb); Jesper Zeuthen (ts); Malene Bichel (v) and others. Aalborg and Copenhagen, Denmark. Various dates.
Storyville 1014371
