MATS EILERTSEN - Solitude Central
Hemli: HEMLI001CD
Mats Eilsertsen: double bass, live electronics
Recorded 30th March 2020 by Anders Siegrist Oliver and Ole-Espen Kristiansen at Sentralen, Oslo
MATS EILERTSEN - Hymn For Hope
Hemli: HEMLI002CD
Tore Brunborg: tenor saxophone; Thomas T Dahl: guitars; Hans Hulbakmo: drums, percussion; Mats Eilertsen: double bass
Recorded December 202 by Aksel Jensen at Newtone Studios, Oslo.
I have had the pleasure the listen to several solo bass recordings in recent years. Each one provides an insight into the relationship that the artist has with the instrument and approach to constructing music. Given that the bass does not easily lend itself to playing chords (not impossible but not always practical), the challenge is to create sequences of notes that can convey a chordal pattern while emphasising melody and rhythm. Or you could captures the notes as their hang in the air and build multiphonic patterns through clever use of effects and loop pedals. The challenge with this approach, though, is to make sure that the playing and player do not become overwhelmed by the need for real-time mixing and editing of sounds. Eilertsen solo album ingeniously solves the chordal problem through subtle uses of effects and the mixing problem by allowing single notes or pairs of notes to provide a humming, almost drone-like, background to the lines that he develops and his tapping of the bow on the bass’ body adds to the other wordly sense in his playing (particularly in the haunting use of higher register notes in ‘2nd Solitude’). There is tremendous beauty in these solo pieces and this comes not only from his control of the instrument but also his approach to creating music which combines influences from folk traditions other many countries or classical music (where, for example, ‘3rd Solitude’ opens in a way which could herald a Baroque tune, then segues into a pizzicato tune with folk and Middle Eastern roots, before moving back and forward between these very different traditions).
Hemli: HEMLI001CD
Mats Eilsertsen: double bass, live electronics
Recorded 30th March 2020 by Anders Siegrist Oliver and Ole-Espen Kristiansen at Sentralen, Oslo
MATS EILERTSEN - Hymn For Hope
Hemli: HEMLI002CD
Tore Brunborg: tenor saxophone; Thomas T Dahl: guitars; Hans Hulbakmo: drums, percussion; Mats Eilertsen: double bass
Recorded December 202 by Aksel Jensen at Newtone Studios, Oslo.
I have had the pleasure the listen to several solo bass recordings in recent years. Each one provides an insight into the relationship that the artist has with the instrument and approach to constructing music. Given that the bass does not easily lend itself to playing chords (not impossible but not always practical), the challenge is to create sequences of notes that can convey a chordal pattern while emphasising melody and rhythm. Or you could captures the notes as their hang in the air and build multiphonic patterns through clever use of effects and loop pedals. The challenge with this approach, though, is to make sure that the playing and player do not become overwhelmed by the need for real-time mixing and editing of sounds. Eilertsen solo album ingeniously solves the chordal problem through subtle uses of effects and the mixing problem by allowing single notes or pairs of notes to provide a humming, almost drone-like, background to the lines that he develops and his tapping of the bow on the bass’ body adds to the other wordly sense in his playing (particularly in the haunting use of higher register notes in ‘2nd Solitude’). There is tremendous beauty in these solo pieces and this comes not only from his control of the instrument but also his approach to creating music which combines influences from folk traditions other many countries or classical music (where, for example, ‘3rd Solitude’ opens in a way which could herald a Baroque tune, then segues into a pizzicato tune with folk and Middle Eastern roots, before moving back and forward between these very different traditions).
The sense of musical adventure one gets from the solo album is equally apparent in the quartet recording. Of the 12 tunes on this set, 9 are composed by Eilertsen and show not only his eclectic influences but also a very strong commitment to rhythmic and harmonic development. While the tunes don’t have an obvious head or verse-chorus structure, the ways in which motifs are introduced and developed convey a satisfying sense of a story being spun. Each tune provides space and scope for sax and guitar to develop and exchange melody lines, with bass and drums sitting comfortably behind them. Dahl has played with Eilertsen for a while and his ability to shift from fiery to contemplative is certainly well employed in the pieces. The interplay between Dahl and Brunborg is marvellous and you feel that you are listening to them improvising their contributions throughout (although this does a disservice to the complexity of Eilertsen’s compostions). Occasionally the rhythm section might foray forward in solos (like the bombastic drum intro to the rocking tune ‘First’, which is a bonus track not listed on the CD cover) or to pick up and reflect the melodies, but more often its role is to keep the music moving forward and to construct intricate rhythmic patterns. It is this latter that one sees the closest affinity between these two recordings because both demonstrate the ways in which Eilertsen’s music so thoroughly intertwines melody and rhythm in the ways in which he thinks about, composes and plays music.
Reviewed by Chris Baber
Reviewed by Chris Baber
