ARILD ANDERSEN WITH 'ARINADA'
Ronnie Scott’s - Monday 24 April 2017
Ronnie Scott’s - Monday 24 April 2017
Line-up: ‘ARINADA’
bass: ARILD ANDERSEN; Musical Director, trombone: HELGE SUNDE; trumpets: FRANK BRODAHL, MARIUS HALTLI; trumpet, flugelhorn: ANDERS ERIKSSON; soprano sax: FRODE NYMO; alto sax, flute and alto flute: BØRGE-ARE HALVORSEN; tenor sax, bass clarinet: ATLE NYMO; bass sax, contra alto clarinet: SHANNON MOWDAY; trombones: EVEN KRUSE SKATRUD; guitar: JENS THORESEN; piano: OLGA KONKOVA; bass: PER MATHISEN; drums: TORSTEIN LOFTHUS
Music arrangers: HELGE SUNDE, ERLEND SKOMSVOLL, SHANNON MOWDAY & OYVIND BRAEKKE
It’s a Monday night, out of season, and ‘Ronnie Scott’s’ has very impressively staged ‘Arinada’ - the large Norwegian ensemble with Arild Andersen featuring as soloist and originator (though not arranger) of not just the themes, but in part the whole ‘sound’, trail-blazed since the 60s alongside Jan Gabarek (’67 – ’73) as a member Gabarek’s original pre-Jarrett quartet.
Having established their credentials in the first set, the ensemble is both focused and relaxed enough to have fun in the second. The delay effect of JENS THORESEN’s guitar and the drum ‘n’ bass sensibility of drummer TORSTEIN LOFTHUS on the opener call to mind the airy textures hallmarked by Mike Gibbs [‘Word of Mouth’ – Jaco Pastorius] and ‘Loose Tubes’. Solo duties are enthusiastically taken up by tenor, ATLE NYMO, trumpeter MARIUS ‘Super Mario’ HALTLI as the ensemble’s thick textures continue.
There is a classical poise to the ensuing suite of three Arild Andersen themes. The first announces its almost Renaissance-like aesthetic with a harpsichord-esque electric bass effect from PER MATHISEN as the canonic chorale unfolds. This dissolves into an emerging bolero, with crotchets marked like an electric Miles Davis outing of 1970. The referencing of a wide range of traditions continues as the contrapuntal arranging of the leader/MD HELGE SUNDE spurs on Andersen’s bass dialogue with drums in a double-timeevocation of a sitar and table battle. The third part evolves with refreshing detail in the hands of stand-out pianist OLGA KONKOVA, also allowing the ears to fully relish the unusual voice of the contra-alto clarinet, so ably held by SHANNON MOWDAY.
The broad artistic aims of this technically accomplished and adventurous ensemble continue with a layer-cake of ‘rhythm changes’, Stranvinsky-like woodwind lines, and thick brass pads. Arild Andersen enjoying cutting his legendary shape and characteristically vocal inflections on solo flights in all tunes, always melodic and communicative, rhythmic and well-constructed in his flow of ideas. All soloing members of the ensemble share his European musical values, exploring improvisational areas of expression without having to sound like a product of Berklee College.
This music harked all the way back to the origin of the now highly-established ‘European sound’ in jazz, to be found in Gabarek’s drones and folk sketches. I can’t recommend you catch this bunch at Ronnie’s, as this was a one-night-only engagement. Whilst I admire the idiom and scope of the nuances on offer here, I missed the more evolved harmonic content and deeply constructed counterpoint of arrangers Bates, Gibbs or Mendoza. This evening’s music is, however, an indulgence in constant texture and beautiful ensemble execution.
Reviewed by Julian Nicholas
bass: ARILD ANDERSEN; Musical Director, trombone: HELGE SUNDE; trumpets: FRANK BRODAHL, MARIUS HALTLI; trumpet, flugelhorn: ANDERS ERIKSSON; soprano sax: FRODE NYMO; alto sax, flute and alto flute: BØRGE-ARE HALVORSEN; tenor sax, bass clarinet: ATLE NYMO; bass sax, contra alto clarinet: SHANNON MOWDAY; trombones: EVEN KRUSE SKATRUD; guitar: JENS THORESEN; piano: OLGA KONKOVA; bass: PER MATHISEN; drums: TORSTEIN LOFTHUS
Music arrangers: HELGE SUNDE, ERLEND SKOMSVOLL, SHANNON MOWDAY & OYVIND BRAEKKE
It’s a Monday night, out of season, and ‘Ronnie Scott’s’ has very impressively staged ‘Arinada’ - the large Norwegian ensemble with Arild Andersen featuring as soloist and originator (though not arranger) of not just the themes, but in part the whole ‘sound’, trail-blazed since the 60s alongside Jan Gabarek (’67 – ’73) as a member Gabarek’s original pre-Jarrett quartet.
Having established their credentials in the first set, the ensemble is both focused and relaxed enough to have fun in the second. The delay effect of JENS THORESEN’s guitar and the drum ‘n’ bass sensibility of drummer TORSTEIN LOFTHUS on the opener call to mind the airy textures hallmarked by Mike Gibbs [‘Word of Mouth’ – Jaco Pastorius] and ‘Loose Tubes’. Solo duties are enthusiastically taken up by tenor, ATLE NYMO, trumpeter MARIUS ‘Super Mario’ HALTLI as the ensemble’s thick textures continue.
There is a classical poise to the ensuing suite of three Arild Andersen themes. The first announces its almost Renaissance-like aesthetic with a harpsichord-esque electric bass effect from PER MATHISEN as the canonic chorale unfolds. This dissolves into an emerging bolero, with crotchets marked like an electric Miles Davis outing of 1970. The referencing of a wide range of traditions continues as the contrapuntal arranging of the leader/MD HELGE SUNDE spurs on Andersen’s bass dialogue with drums in a double-timeevocation of a sitar and table battle. The third part evolves with refreshing detail in the hands of stand-out pianist OLGA KONKOVA, also allowing the ears to fully relish the unusual voice of the contra-alto clarinet, so ably held by SHANNON MOWDAY.
The broad artistic aims of this technically accomplished and adventurous ensemble continue with a layer-cake of ‘rhythm changes’, Stranvinsky-like woodwind lines, and thick brass pads. Arild Andersen enjoying cutting his legendary shape and characteristically vocal inflections on solo flights in all tunes, always melodic and communicative, rhythmic and well-constructed in his flow of ideas. All soloing members of the ensemble share his European musical values, exploring improvisational areas of expression without having to sound like a product of Berklee College.
This music harked all the way back to the origin of the now highly-established ‘European sound’ in jazz, to be found in Gabarek’s drones and folk sketches. I can’t recommend you catch this bunch at Ronnie’s, as this was a one-night-only engagement. Whilst I admire the idiom and scope of the nuances on offer here, I missed the more evolved harmonic content and deeply constructed counterpoint of arrangers Bates, Gibbs or Mendoza. This evening’s music is, however, an indulgence in constant texture and beautiful ensemble execution.
Reviewed by Julian Nicholas
