AUDUN TRIO - Rondane
Losen: LOS191-2
Audun Barsten Johnsen: piano; Hakon Norby Bjorgo: bass; Magnus Sefaniassen Eide: drums.
Recorded April 10th and 11th, 2017, at Sparkle Sound Studios, Norway
The opening track of this set begins with a sprightly walking bass-line that made me expect someone like Ben E King to walk up to the microphone. Instead, the piano plays a delicately phrased counterpoint that develops into a beguilingly but infectious simple melody; and the sense of joy that the track brings is not lost even when the band sing along with the melody (in a style, to be honest, that has an air of 1970s commercials about it). As a tune, it gives a pleasant taste of that period of time when jazz-inflected music was finding its way into the pop charts and on television. What the track also shows is that this is a band that values exuberant music making above any pretensions of being ‘cool’ – by which I mean their concern is to be fun rather than studious. But, in their own way, this creates a music that generates its own cool. Audun’s piano playing, particularly in the ballads (of which there are many on this 8 tune set) has a fine sense of touch, bringing depth and passion to each note he plays. The interplay of the trio is impressive, with each playing perfectly providing foil to his band-mates.
The compositions themselves have a pleasant structure that is both atmospheric and cinematic, you visualise the road at night when listening to ‘Nattkjoring’ (literally, driving at night), track 3, or the beauty of the Rondane National Park (for which track 5, the album’s title is named). Interestingly, while many of the pieces have a dreamy quality, ‘Nattkjoring’ shows quite a different side to the band, with the bass line and skittering piano at odds with each other at the start and then gradually resolving to the piece’s close. This tune, the opening track, and the pattering introduction to ‘Rondane’, show a breadth of musicianship in this young trio that suggest that they’ve plenty of imaginative ideas to build a career upon, as well as a strong melodic sensibility that gives rise to some memorable tunes.
Reviewed by Chris Baber
Losen: LOS191-2
Audun Barsten Johnsen: piano; Hakon Norby Bjorgo: bass; Magnus Sefaniassen Eide: drums.
Recorded April 10th and 11th, 2017, at Sparkle Sound Studios, Norway
The opening track of this set begins with a sprightly walking bass-line that made me expect someone like Ben E King to walk up to the microphone. Instead, the piano plays a delicately phrased counterpoint that develops into a beguilingly but infectious simple melody; and the sense of joy that the track brings is not lost even when the band sing along with the melody (in a style, to be honest, that has an air of 1970s commercials about it). As a tune, it gives a pleasant taste of that period of time when jazz-inflected music was finding its way into the pop charts and on television. What the track also shows is that this is a band that values exuberant music making above any pretensions of being ‘cool’ – by which I mean their concern is to be fun rather than studious. But, in their own way, this creates a music that generates its own cool. Audun’s piano playing, particularly in the ballads (of which there are many on this 8 tune set) has a fine sense of touch, bringing depth and passion to each note he plays. The interplay of the trio is impressive, with each playing perfectly providing foil to his band-mates.
The compositions themselves have a pleasant structure that is both atmospheric and cinematic, you visualise the road at night when listening to ‘Nattkjoring’ (literally, driving at night), track 3, or the beauty of the Rondane National Park (for which track 5, the album’s title is named). Interestingly, while many of the pieces have a dreamy quality, ‘Nattkjoring’ shows quite a different side to the band, with the bass line and skittering piano at odds with each other at the start and then gradually resolving to the piece’s close. This tune, the opening track, and the pattering introduction to ‘Rondane’, show a breadth of musicianship in this young trio that suggest that they’ve plenty of imaginative ideas to build a career upon, as well as a strong melodic sensibility that gives rise to some memorable tunes.
Reviewed by Chris Baber
