Langen Ro

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Geir Sundstol pojawił się w roli muzyka sesyjnego na ponad 260-ciu albumach u przeróżnych artystów, znamy go też ze współpracy z Nilsem Petterem Molvarem. To jednak dopiero w ubiegłym roku wydał swoją pierwszą płytę, pt. „Furulund”, na której namaszczał elektroniką akustycznego bluesa, jazz i avant-country. Na „Langen Ro” kontynuuje w pewnym stopniu wątki z poprzedniego wydawnictwa. Tym razem u jego boku znaleźli się tacy muzycy jak David Wallumrod (Spirit in the Dark, Needlepoint), Erland Dahlen (Nils Petter Molvar), Martin Langlie, Martin Windstad (Bernhoft), Nikolai Hangsle Eilertsen (Moster!, Elephant 9, Band of Gold) i Erik Sollid (Valkyrien).

Norweg przyznał, że pisząc materiał na „Langen Ro” myślał o czymś takim jak muzyka „podwodna”. Najlepiej byłoby zapytać Sundstola, co miał na myśli używając sformułowania „podwodna”. Jak dla mnie to właśnie ciepłe, analogowe brzmienie „Langen Ro” pozwala zatopić się w wyjątkowym klimacie tego longplaya. Świetne partie gitary hawajskiej, niekiedy lekko modyfikowane, przelatają się z instrumentami perkusyjnymi, wibrafonem, skrzypcami, syntezatorami i elektroniką. „Langen Ro” może również kojarzyć się z muzyką filmową, za czym przemawia choćby interpretacja tematu Giorgio Morodera z „Scarface” („Tony’s theem”). W tym przypadku dźwięki syntezatorów zostały zastąpione m.in. przez gitarę hawajską oraz banjo.

„Furulund” doczekała się nominacji do Spellemannspris, czyli norweskiej Grammy. Nie wiem, jak będzie z „Langen Ro”, ale cieszyłbym się gdyby w Polsce płyty takiego formatu uwzględniono przy rozdawaniu Fryderyków. A mamy z czego wybierać.
autor: Łukasz Komła

Editor's info:
Guitarist and instrument collector Geir Sundstol appeared on over 260 albums as a session player and sideman before he released his solo debut 'Furulund' in 2015. After 27 years as a professional musician he finally took the big step, and was rewarded with glowing reviews and a Norwegian Grammy (Spellemannspris) nomination.

Mojo described Sundstol's debut album as "a soothing series of languid guitar soundscapes that blend Cooderesque western warmth with a twilight Norwegian chill." HiFi+ highlighted "the great choice of sounds" and the Norwegian music writer Terje Mosnes referred to the "musicianship that doesn't shout, but that wins the listener over through the subtle tonal diversity that gradually emerges, making each listen a new experience."

Now, a year later, Geir Sundstol is following up his success with an album that is even more fully realised. 'Langen ro' offers a wide range of genre references and an original and distinctive sound. Sundstol's music has clearly cinematic features, while at the same time retaining a subdued and linear quality that is reminiscent of ambient. Synthesizers play a more important role and he even offers us an original (and synthesizer-free) take on Giorgio Moroder's "Tony's Theme" (from the Scarface OST).

As on 'Furulund', Geir collaborated with engineer Bard Ingebrigtsen, and among his guests are a number of first-class musicians and friends, including keyboardist David Wallumrod (Spirit in the Dark, Needlepoint) and drummer Erland Dahlen (Nils Petter Molvar), bass player Nikolai Eilertsen (Moster!, Elephant 9, Band of Gold), drummer Martin Langlie, violinist Erik Sollid (Valkyrien) and percussionist Martin Winstad (Bernhoft).

All About Jazz - ocena * * * *:
Indeed, there are serene, drifting and stunning passages on this album by longtime Norwegian session musician Geir Sundstol, who after twenty-something years in the business releases only his second solo album, following up Furulund (Hubro, 2015). The accompanying marketing material cites Sundstol as a guitarist and instrument collector, although the CD jacket only lists the musicians, sans the instruments they play, other than what is disclosed on the press kit and noted at the bottom of this review. No doubt, Sundstol aligns himself with a troupe of Scandinavian all-stars on this superfine outing.

The production consists of several movements that merge ambient electronica with Steve Reich type minimalism, folk, and a few inadvertent nods to guitarist Pat Metheny's rustic, windswept dreamscapes. Moreover, Sundstol's pedal steel and / or slide guitar articulations are often centered upon placid dreamscapes, tinted with melodic persuasions and other notions where he seemingly dissolves his notes into night sky. It's wondrously choreographed via his finely envisioned artistic inclinations. In many instances, disparate tonal qualities are framed upon a classical discipline or looping patterns amid understated theme-building mechanisms.

Violinist Erik Sollid (Valkyrien), keyboardist David Wallumrod (Spirit in the Dark), bassist Nikolai Eilersten (Elephant 9) and others help create a polychromatic and sometimes, fragile amalgamation of converging textures. Pieces such as film composer Giorgio Moroder's surreal and bluesy piece "Tony's Theme (from the movie Scarface)" and the pristine and ever-so-gentle ballad "Los," are etched by the leader's echoing pedal steel guitar lines and keen use of volume control techniques. Yet "Baris" is built on reverberating thematic forays and oscillating synths notes that formulate a multidimensional vista.

"Bek" is another work that could easily serve as a backdrop for a cinematic endeavor due to Sundstol's sublime riffs, anchored by one of the keyboardist's whistling synth patterns. Here, they elicit imagery of peering over a canyon at sunset. Either way, the program fuses a metaphysical platform with a quietly upbeat vibe that is also hip, expertly executed and irrefutably compelling.
By GLENN ASTARITA