MARSTRANDER TRIO - Old Times, Beautiful Boy
Losen: LOS229-2
Mathias Marstrander: guitar; Arne Toivo Fjose Sandberg: bass; Sigurd Steinkopf: drums
Recorded November 2018 by Cem Arapkirlioglu at Studio A, The Grieg Academy, Bergen, Norway.
The first track, ‘Opening’, has Marstrander palying single notes through heavy use of effects – sounding at times like a tape played in reverse and at others with such emphasised sustain and delay from his effects pedals that the individual notes merge into drones that gradually undulate up and down a scale. On this, his debut CD, the combination of clear bell-like picking of individual notes with heavily accented effects creates a sound that he is developing as his own (it is only on the closing track, ‘Final Soldier’, that a debt to Bill Frissell is apparent). As he demonstrates on tracks like ‘Window Song’ and ‘Building Towers’, Marstrander is comfortable shifting between the plucking of a well defined tune with subtle use of effects (lots of reverb and treble). On other tunes, such as ‘Opening’ and ‘Inside a head’ (track 4), he is more interested in exploring patterns of sounds that can be built using guitar and effects pedals. Combining these sounds with the acoustic double bass creates a richly textured spread of sound which is well captured by Arapkirlioglu.
On the longish (almost 8 minute) title track, the role of the guitar is to accompany the bass solo as the tune develops and then take over to deliver the gentle conclusion to this beautifully constructed ballad that weaves between major and minor to convey a dramatic story. Marstrander has written all of the tunes on this set. The themes themselves bring to mind a whole collection of musical styles which, as Marstrander says in the liner notes, range from film music to rock, from improv to jazz. There are plenty of places where collective improvisation is allowed to flourish, so I guess his compositions are mainly focused on chord sequences and some elegant themes while also providing opportunities for him and his band-mates to stretch their legs.
Reviewed by Chris Baber
Losen: LOS229-2
Mathias Marstrander: guitar; Arne Toivo Fjose Sandberg: bass; Sigurd Steinkopf: drums
Recorded November 2018 by Cem Arapkirlioglu at Studio A, The Grieg Academy, Bergen, Norway.
The first track, ‘Opening’, has Marstrander palying single notes through heavy use of effects – sounding at times like a tape played in reverse and at others with such emphasised sustain and delay from his effects pedals that the individual notes merge into drones that gradually undulate up and down a scale. On this, his debut CD, the combination of clear bell-like picking of individual notes with heavily accented effects creates a sound that he is developing as his own (it is only on the closing track, ‘Final Soldier’, that a debt to Bill Frissell is apparent). As he demonstrates on tracks like ‘Window Song’ and ‘Building Towers’, Marstrander is comfortable shifting between the plucking of a well defined tune with subtle use of effects (lots of reverb and treble). On other tunes, such as ‘Opening’ and ‘Inside a head’ (track 4), he is more interested in exploring patterns of sounds that can be built using guitar and effects pedals. Combining these sounds with the acoustic double bass creates a richly textured spread of sound which is well captured by Arapkirlioglu.
On the longish (almost 8 minute) title track, the role of the guitar is to accompany the bass solo as the tune develops and then take over to deliver the gentle conclusion to this beautifully constructed ballad that weaves between major and minor to convey a dramatic story. Marstrander has written all of the tunes on this set. The themes themselves bring to mind a whole collection of musical styles which, as Marstrander says in the liner notes, range from film music to rock, from improv to jazz. There are plenty of places where collective improvisation is allowed to flourish, so I guess his compositions are mainly focused on chord sequences and some elegant themes while also providing opportunities for him and his band-mates to stretch their legs.
Reviewed by Chris Baber
