Departure [Vinyl 1LP]

Modern Jazz / Indie Jazz
premiera polska: 2019-09-13,
Wydawnicto Audiofilskie
kontynent: Europa
kraj: Norwegia
opakowanie: kartonowe etui
opis:
laboratoriummuzycznychfuzji.com - ocena 8/10:
„Departure” to nowy album dwójki Norwegów Eyolfa Dale’a i André Rolighetena – duetu dzierżącego niegdyś nazwę Albatrosh. Obaj artyści są obecnie czołowymi przedstawicielami brytyjskiej oficyny Edition Records. Eyolf Dale zbudował swoją reputację, prowadząc oktet Wolf Valley oraz grając jako sideman w bandzie tubisty Daniela Harskedala. André Roligheten udziela się natomiast w Acoustic Unity Garda Nilssena, a także wspomnianym oktecie Dale’a.

Duet to ta jedna z bardziej intymnych form w muzyce. Dialog pomiędzy dwoma artystami powinien być przemyślany, ale jednocześnie wolny od schematów. Powinien posiadać swoją dramaturgię oraz miejsca, gdzie artysta pokaże swoją muzyczną osobowość. Wspólna gra jest często instynktowna, co prowadzi do nieoczekiwanych zwrotów akcji. Styl jazzowy wydaje się być idealny, aby sprostać tym wymaganiom stąd też duet jest w tym gatunku wyjątkowo popularny.

Interakcja pomiędzy dwoma Norwegami wykracza jednak poza szablonowe ramy konkretnego stylu. Gra Doyla wielokrotnie odnosi się do osiągnięć impresjonistów francuskich, a wykreowane przez niego pejzaże służą Rolighetenowi do bardziej konkretnego określenia atmosfery danego utworu. Tytuły na płycie jednoznacznie sugerują ich tematykę, którą twórcy ilustrują swoją muzyką (Just Woke Up, Moon Jogger). Innym razem interakcja obydwu muzyków dąży do brzmieniowych przesileń, dynamicznego cieniowania czy nawet subtelnych saksofonowych polifonii (Take Me Home, Accelerate Wormhole). W tych przypadkach narracja jest już o wiele bardziej skomplikowana i sama obrazowo-kojarzeniowa percepcja może nie wystarczyć. Ich wartość emocjonalną znajdziemy znacznie głębiej, jeśli tylko będziemy chcieli się w nie dokładnie wsłuchać.

„Departure” ma szansę znaleźć uznanie u bardzo szerokiego grona słuchaczy, bo to muzyka nad wyraz uniwersalna i stworzona przez muzyków przekonanych o swoim artystycznym posłaniu. Każdy dźwięk tego nagrania jest efektem głębokiej erudycji i wieloletnich poszukiwań własnego oryginalnego brzmienia. Płyta, która z powodzeniem może pełnić funkcję muzykoterapeutyczną, a więc z przeznaczeniem dla każdego z nas.
autor: Marcin Puławski

All About Jazz - ocena * * * *:
This follow-up to Eyolf Dale's 2018 album Return To Mind, as with its 2016 predecessor, Dale's Wolf Valley, features André Roligheten on tenor sax and clarinet. But crucially, on Departure Dale and Roligheten have dispensed with a rhythm section. This is not a new format since this Norwegian pair had played in a duo configuration under the name of Albatrosh, and as a result winning the Jazzintro award in 2008. They released their debut album Seagull Island (Inner Ear) in 2009, and have produced a further four Albatrosh albums since then.

Dale's aptly titled opener, "First Clue" does indeed proffer an indication of the ensuing tracks. The chiaroscuro meanderings range from pastoral to Roligheten's more visceral tenor sallies. But always the two musicians trace a symbiotic path together. On Dale's "Just Woke Up," there's a change in the piano approach which becomes more vibrant and, initially, follows an ostinato chordal pattern but regularly references the main motif of the piece. But always Roligheten evinces a volley of limpid high register notes which serve to enchant and, at times, mesmerize. Dale's deft, fleet-footed piano lines on "Moon Jogger" perfectly complement Roligheten's serpentine saxophone which oscillates from sombre to strident, frequently within the same breath.

Roligheten's "Reflection" epitomises the lyrical nature of the compositions whilst "Accelerate Wormhole" is a collective improvisation that clearly demonstrates how the two musicians play together with a near-telepathic sensibility. This synergy is repeated in their other jointly composed track "Crystalline." Overall the music is characterised by a dreamlike quality and aligns itself more to contemporary classical conventions and improvisation whilst studiously eschewing jazz clichés, thus rendering the album intriguingly idiosyncratic.
By ROGER FARBEY
Editor's info:
Departure is the fourth release in total and the debut on Edition Records from pianist Eyolf Dale and reedsman André Roligheten, two musicians at the forefront of an exciting new generation of Norwegian Jazz. The music inscribed on this album describes a meeting between two old friends, an intimate dialogue between two critically acclaimed jazz musicians with impressive careers of their own, but also a departure: an album that carves a new path for the duo formerly known as Albatrosh.

Eyolf Dale is no stranger to Edition audiences. He has built a reputation with a strong expressive voice and music that is beautiful, reflective and effervescent. Eyolf’s two acclaimed albums (Wolf Valley and Return to Mind) with his own octet, (the latter holds the record for a track with the most streams (over 2.2 million as of writing) across the entire Edition catalogue!) sit alongside his sideman duties with Tuba player Daniel Herskedal. André Roligheten is also a member of Eyolf’s Wolf Valley Octet and a regular in Gard Nilssen´s Acoustic Unity.

These two long term friends have been making music together since their mid-teens as Albatrosh and toured the world, won several prestigious awards and released five critically acclaimed albums. For Departure, the band name has been dropped to allow a renewed focus on their individual personalities within the collective sound. The duo’s focus is calm and direct, drenched in honest expression, centred around an interaction of perfect harmony, a melodic core. These two gifted musicians interact, unafraid of beauty, unafraid of the abstract – without ever losing track of their musical goal.

This music is poetic, honest and reflective. Its shifting harmonies and long drawn out melodies create a haunting melancholy, a sometimes raw and personal sound. Listen to Just Woke Up and be instantly drawn into its flowing lilt and nuanced poise.

The duo is a special collaboration for them both as Eyolf Dale explains: ‘This music is about the meeting between two old friends.The result of having worked together for so long makes the music and the collaboration deeply personal and honest. This is reflected in the music first and foremost, in our dialogue based on a democratic and open communication. We strive to make the music transparent and bare. Because of our transparency and stripped down approach to music we manage to dig deeper into our musical and emotional inner worlds. The music is centered on the compositions and makes improvisations and variations based on a set structure”.

Titles such as Accelerate / Wormhole, Celestial Bodies, Moon Jogger and Crystalline provide a clue to the composing process. André adds: “Our newest work can be seen as a reflection of ourselves within the grandiose and unpredictable universe: celestial objects being interpreted, such as shaping the structure of one of the songs to the orbit of the moon. Also, how our perceptions change during night and day has been a source of inspiration for the music. Observing a landscape in moonlight creates a different depth and atmosphere than in daylight. The tranquility of the night is perhaps reflected in the music by the sparsity of arrangements and serenity of sound”.

Departure is an album of expression, of poise and deep collaboration. It’s alive with elegance and beauty and stands as a fine addition for fans of music that is honest and self-reflective and able to take you on a journey of deep expression.

LINER NOTES
The duo format is probably the most intimate of interplays. At its best one can reach an immensely rich and charged sensitivity to musical nuances, the breath of a phrase, the hue of a harmony and the timing and placement of improvised input. In jazz, the duo is a somewhat classic lineup, but it never seems to wear out. For an improviser it could could be viewed as one of the most demanding tasks, as two individual voices provide clarity and flexibility so revealing – yet equally rewarding – when handled properly within the context of the music. Something magical could happen!

The music on Departure is made possible due to a life-long musical collaboration and a profound understanding of and respect for similarities and differences. Also, how perceptions change during night and day has been a source of inspiration for the music, observing a landscape in moonlight creates a different depth and atmosphere than in daylight. The tranquility of the night is perhaps reflected in the music by the the sparsity of the arrangements and the serenity of the sound. The music is centred around the compositions and leads to improvisations and variations based on a set structure.

muzycy:
Eyolf Dale - piano
André Roligheten - saxophone and clarinet

utwory:
A1. First Clue 6.38
A2. Just Woke Up 3.45
A3. Take Me Home 4.17
A4. Reflection 5.01
B1. Accelerate Wormhole 3.10
B2. Celestial Bodies 5.09
B3. Moon Jogger 4.38
B4. Crystalline 5.31

wydano: 2019-05-10
nagrano: Recorded and mixed by Eyolf Dale at Wolf Valley Studio

more info: www.editionrecords.com