PER MATHISEN / JAN GUNNAR HOFF / GARY NOVAK - Gladiator
Losen LOS236-2
Per Mathisen: bass; Jan Gunnar Hoff: piano, keyboards; Gary Novak: drums
Recorded October 2019 by Tony Waade and Kriss Kristensen at Lydhagen Studios, Verdal, Norway.
From the liner notes, one can interpret the title ‘Gladiator’ in terms of the rise and fall of the Roman Empire, and in terms of associated worries and concerns over ‘freedom’ (relating to expression, movement, belief, gatherings etc.) and the ways in which these freedoms interact with digital social media. This juxtaposition of concerns (from the Roman Empire to Social Media platforms) is, for me, novel but also (once it is pointed out) convincing. The questions of how expression is marshalled by an elite (either an economic that owns and runs social media platforms, or a self-appointed one that barks its anger across these platforms to shut down debate). But there is also, in this set of compositions from both Mathisen and Hoff, a juxtaposition of jazz-funk and contemporary music which is every bit as significant as the debate that the liner notes raise. Put simply, much of the audience of jazz-funk (whether pro or ante) sees its heyday in the late 1980’s and might wonder why there is scope for revival in the 21st Century.
The obvious answer to this question is to begin with the trio’s version of ‘Now We are Free’ (track 6), which, we know from Hans Zimmer’s score for the movie ‘Gladiator’. Not only does this (obviously) align with the album’s title but also poses questions between the vernacular of jazz-funk (in terms of its insistence on the hook of the tune and the beat of the rhythm) but also how this quest for immediacy risks losing the nuance and subtlety of the original score. To this end, the gladiatorial combat is not simply between jazz-funk and other musical styles but also between the bombast of hook and beat and the subtlety of musical exposition and development. It is telling that the reference Zimmer because he was a master of balancing these extremes, in much the same way that Mathisen has found across his career. In the hands of Zimmer or Mathisen / Hoff, the immediate, in-your-face hook and beat are always tempered by developments of chords and tangents of rhythm that can shake the complacency of a ‘straight-ahead’ jazz-funk to discover novel shapes and phrases.
The set closes with ‘Good News’ which is a jaunty, exuberant hymn to optimism, and a hope that not only we get through the various ills that covid has visited on us but also that the gladiatorial spirit will help rediscover and reinvigorate our freedoms.
Reviewed by Chris Baber
Losen LOS236-2
Per Mathisen: bass; Jan Gunnar Hoff: piano, keyboards; Gary Novak: drums
Recorded October 2019 by Tony Waade and Kriss Kristensen at Lydhagen Studios, Verdal, Norway.
From the liner notes, one can interpret the title ‘Gladiator’ in terms of the rise and fall of the Roman Empire, and in terms of associated worries and concerns over ‘freedom’ (relating to expression, movement, belief, gatherings etc.) and the ways in which these freedoms interact with digital social media. This juxtaposition of concerns (from the Roman Empire to Social Media platforms) is, for me, novel but also (once it is pointed out) convincing. The questions of how expression is marshalled by an elite (either an economic that owns and runs social media platforms, or a self-appointed one that barks its anger across these platforms to shut down debate). But there is also, in this set of compositions from both Mathisen and Hoff, a juxtaposition of jazz-funk and contemporary music which is every bit as significant as the debate that the liner notes raise. Put simply, much of the audience of jazz-funk (whether pro or ante) sees its heyday in the late 1980’s and might wonder why there is scope for revival in the 21st Century.
The obvious answer to this question is to begin with the trio’s version of ‘Now We are Free’ (track 6), which, we know from Hans Zimmer’s score for the movie ‘Gladiator’. Not only does this (obviously) align with the album’s title but also poses questions between the vernacular of jazz-funk (in terms of its insistence on the hook of the tune and the beat of the rhythm) but also how this quest for immediacy risks losing the nuance and subtlety of the original score. To this end, the gladiatorial combat is not simply between jazz-funk and other musical styles but also between the bombast of hook and beat and the subtlety of musical exposition and development. It is telling that the reference Zimmer because he was a master of balancing these extremes, in much the same way that Mathisen has found across his career. In the hands of Zimmer or Mathisen / Hoff, the immediate, in-your-face hook and beat are always tempered by developments of chords and tangents of rhythm that can shake the complacency of a ‘straight-ahead’ jazz-funk to discover novel shapes and phrases.
The set closes with ‘Good News’ which is a jaunty, exuberant hymn to optimism, and a hope that not only we get through the various ills that covid has visited on us but also that the gladiatorial spirit will help rediscover and reinvigorate our freedoms.
Reviewed by Chris Baber
