MIKKEL NORDSØ BAND - Nine
Stunt Records: STUCD21052
Mikkel Nordsø: guitars, synth, beats, electronica; Ben Besiakov: organ, Fender Rhodes, piano; Peter Danstrup: bass; Ole Theill: drums; Eliel Lazo: percussion; Jacob Andersen: percussion; Caroline Franceska: vocals; Al Agami: rap; Mathias Heise: harmonica; Jens Haack: saxophone.
Recorded 2020-2021 by Mikkel Nordsø and Frederik Tao at Fifth Dimension Studios
Nordsø and Theill have a shared history in jazz-rock-fusion from their time in Anima, and there are elements where the thrill of that band are brought to life here. But this is not a retrospective or a backwards looking album of jazz-fusion from yesteryear. Rather, Nordsø is continually looking for new directions to move his music and on this album that bluesy, country rock groove at which Franceska excels is to the fore, together with settings in which Al Agami’s confident, thoughtful rap.
The opening track, ‘Bass Thing’, hits a funky groove and sticks with this to build to its coda. Following this, ‘What about some love’, shifts from funk to a slice of country rock, with Fransceska’s husky vocals driving the song. Throughout the album, the band shift between Latin flavours, ‘Three 4 U’ rap, ‘Now Time’, and ‘I come from my mother’, but underpin all of this with a mix of funk and country rock. One of the slight deviations from this blend is the track ‘3-6-9’, which has a sort of Steely Dan edge to it – and Nordsø’s guitar playing is in the same league as Walter Becker’s (which I mean, of course, as a complement) – although, of course, Nordsø’s playing career across several decades probably mean that he and Becker share similar guitar heroes from their youths.
While this is a studio recording, the vibe is one of a live performance. If the band had over-dubbed cheering between tunes or clapping and heckling within each piece, this wouldn’t have been out of place. What I imagine is tricky is to play music of this vibrancy in a place where there isn’t an audience to feed from. For this to work, you need a band of musicians who are able to totally immerse themselves in the rhythms and melodies, and to do this in such a way that their commitment pulls the listener into the worlds that the music creates.
Reviewed by Chris Baber
Stunt Records: STUCD21052
Mikkel Nordsø: guitars, synth, beats, electronica; Ben Besiakov: organ, Fender Rhodes, piano; Peter Danstrup: bass; Ole Theill: drums; Eliel Lazo: percussion; Jacob Andersen: percussion; Caroline Franceska: vocals; Al Agami: rap; Mathias Heise: harmonica; Jens Haack: saxophone.
Recorded 2020-2021 by Mikkel Nordsø and Frederik Tao at Fifth Dimension Studios
Nordsø and Theill have a shared history in jazz-rock-fusion from their time in Anima, and there are elements where the thrill of that band are brought to life here. But this is not a retrospective or a backwards looking album of jazz-fusion from yesteryear. Rather, Nordsø is continually looking for new directions to move his music and on this album that bluesy, country rock groove at which Franceska excels is to the fore, together with settings in which Al Agami’s confident, thoughtful rap.
The opening track, ‘Bass Thing’, hits a funky groove and sticks with this to build to its coda. Following this, ‘What about some love’, shifts from funk to a slice of country rock, with Fransceska’s husky vocals driving the song. Throughout the album, the band shift between Latin flavours, ‘Three 4 U’ rap, ‘Now Time’, and ‘I come from my mother’, but underpin all of this with a mix of funk and country rock. One of the slight deviations from this blend is the track ‘3-6-9’, which has a sort of Steely Dan edge to it – and Nordsø’s guitar playing is in the same league as Walter Becker’s (which I mean, of course, as a complement) – although, of course, Nordsø’s playing career across several decades probably mean that he and Becker share similar guitar heroes from their youths.
While this is a studio recording, the vibe is one of a live performance. If the band had over-dubbed cheering between tunes or clapping and heckling within each piece, this wouldn’t have been out of place. What I imagine is tricky is to play music of this vibrancy in a place where there isn’t an audience to feed from. For this to work, you need a band of musicians who are able to totally immerse themselves in the rhythms and melodies, and to do this in such a way that their commitment pulls the listener into the worlds that the music creates.
Reviewed by Chris Baber
