Axis

Avant Jazz / Free Improvisation / Avant-Garde
premiera polska: 2018-10-08
opakowanie: digipackowe etui
opis:
multikulti.com - ocena * * * *:
Bardzo dynamiczna, grana z pasją muzyka z norweskiego Rune Grammofon.
Norwesko-amerykańskie trio w poruszającym nagraniu oscylującym między intymnym liryzmem a hardcorowym ekspresjonizmem. Jedna z najmocniejszych free-jazzowych propozycji, jakie słyszeliśmy od dłuższego czasu.
Urodzony na Filipinach (1979r.), mieszkaniec Nowego Jorku, najbardziej znany z Mostly Other People Do The Killing to współpracownik m.in. Mary Halvorson, Dave'a Douglasa, Barry'ego Altschula i Nathaniela Smitha, to zwycięzca rankingu Down Beat´s critics polls w dwóch kategoriach - Rising Star Alto Saxophone i Rising Star Tenor Saxophone. Trafił na krótką listę 25 Jazzowych Ikon Nowego Jorku wg. Time Out New York. JazzTimes tak pisze o nim "cechuje go niezłomna technika i głębokie zrozumienie języka awangardowego jazzu".
Gitarzysta John Hegre to połowa znakomitego Jazzkammer/Jazkammer (druga połowa to Lasse Marhaug), występuje w takich zespołach, jak Der Brief, Rehab i Noxagt. Od końca lat 80. wykonuje muzykę na żywo, tworzy instalacje i nagrania studyjne, współpracuje m.in. z Lassem Marhaugem, Merzbow, Mają Solveig Kjelstrup Ratkje, Francisco Lopezem i MoHa!
Najmniej znany ze składu, perkusista Nils Are Dronen to członek Der Brief i The Last Hurrah!!. Pojawia się gościnnie w nagraniach Jazzkammer/Jazkammer i Steina Urheima.
autor: MAd
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Editor's Info:
The debut album from this Norwegian-American trio consists of two long tracks that move between intimate lyricism and hardcore expressionism, shaping one of the strongest free jazz offerings we have heard for quite some time. Filipino-American Jon Irabagon has topped both the Rising Star Alto Saxophone and the Rising Star Tenor Saxophone categories in Down Beat´s critics polls and been named one of Time Out New York´s 25 New York City Jazz Icons. Among the seemingly endless praise we can read "stalwart technique and a deep understanding of avant-garde vocabulary" (JazzTimes), "a musician of intense concentration who wants nothing more than to indulge a spirit of play, emphatic and unreserved" (New York Times), "some of the most galvanizing jazz of the past few years" (Time Out New York) and "one of the strongest, most flexible, and daring saxophonists at work today" (Peter Margasak). A founder member of Mostly Other People Do The Killing, he is also an integral member of the Mary Halvorson Quintet, Dave Douglas Quintet and Barry Altschul´s 3Dom Factor and has taken part on a vast number of records. Guitarist John Hegre and drummer Nils Are Dronen have both been central on the fertile music scene in Bergen for many years, Hegre possibly most known for his long partnership with Lasse Marhaug in Jazzkammer and Jazkamer, while Dronen has played in a number of project and groups including The Last Hurrah!!. They met up with New York resident Irabagon during one of his many visits to Bergen where he has established a deep musical friendship with The Last Hurrah!! founder HP Gundersen.

freejazzblog.org * * * *:
The 18 minute 'Berlin', Recorded in Germany in 2013, begins with a tone, a note, a drum scratch and then as the silence gets filled a little more, the true nature of this trio consisting of Jon Irabagon (Sax), John Hegre (Guitar) and Nils Are Dronen (Drums) starts to emerge. It soon becomes quite clear that all involved have brought their bags of auditory weaponry to a silence fight. Irabagon keeps it rather beautiful for the first two-thirds of the track as both Hegre and Dronen start pushing him to react to soundscapes and thunder. With 2 minutes to go, Irabagon turns on the growl and fires back at them both. Berlin, with all its shifts in direction, establishes itself as a very intriguing piece of improv.

The equally lengthy 'Fukuoka', starts in a more melodic tone with all players wringing out the last drop of creative energy and it sounds like they really enjoy each others company even though this track was recorded some two years later in Japan. Midway, it gets stripped down to the barest of minimums but always with the feeling that it will take off again. Spoiler Alert, not disappointed. Hegre leads the reawakened resurgence as the trio flies out of the hanger. You really get a sense here that Hegre and Dronen have worked together extensively in the past, which they have, a relationship that has been germinating for 20 years. The interplay here when the going gets louder is quite stellar. Irabagon, with all of his MOPDTK, Dave Douglas and Mary Halvorson history, he has no problem fitting into this equation.

And that’s it, its over. A mere 37 minutes that took over two years over two continents to record, a strong indication the music was worth continuing all that time later. As if it had only taken a heartbeat between sessions, one can only hope that with time and patience, we will hear something more from this trio in the near, mid, or far future.
By Philip Coombs

thejazzmann.com:
Born in 1979 the Filipino-American saxophonist Jon Irabagon has been a fairly regular presence on the Jazzmann web pages, largely due to his involvement with the band Mostly Other People Do The Killing, led by bassist and composer Moppa Elliott. He has also been a member of MOPDTK associates Big Five Chord led by guitarist Jon Lundbom.

A serial collaborator the busy Irabagon works with musicians from both sides of the Atlantic and his other credits include membership of bands led by guitarist Mary Halvorson, trumpeter Dave Douglas and drummers Barry Altschul and Nathaniel Smith. He was recently sighted touring the UK as a member of Scottish drummer and composer Andrew Bain’s all star international Embodied Hope Quartet.

Alongside all of this Irabagon conducts a solo career, one that is just as diverse and interesting as his work with other people. A formidable technician he plays all the main members of the saxophone family with equal brilliance and has even announced his ambition to record a solo album on each of the major horns. He’s mainly associated with tenor and alto so I don’t think he’s got round to soprano and baritone just yet.

“Axis” finds Irabagon collaborating with the Norwegian musicians John Hegre (guitar) and Nils Are Dronen (drums). The pair have worked on projects together since 1995 as well as conducting solo careers and working with other musicians.

Hegre, aged 49, is also a songwriter and sound engineer and besides his jazz credentials is also a pioneer on the Norwegian noise music scene. He co-leads the band Jazkamer together with sound artist/vocalist Lasse Marhaug and has also worked with the bands The Golden Serenades and Kaptein Kaliber. Others with whom he has collaborated include experimental vocalist Maja Ratkje and the versatile Helge Sten aka Deathprod, musician, sound artist, producer and member of Supersilent. In all Hegre has appeared on a total nearly fifty recordings.

Like Hegre Dronen is based in Bergen and is also a member of Jazkamer. The two musicians are also members of the band The Last Hurrah! founded by guitarist and producer HP Gundersen. It was Gundersen who first met Irabagon in New York and subsequently introduced him to Hegre and Dronen when the American visited Bergen. Establishing a strong musical friendship with his Norwegian cohorts Irabagon guested on the Last Hurrah! album “The Beauty Of Fake”.

Irabagon’s bond with Hegre and Dronen subsequently led to this improvised trio recording recorded at two different sessions in two different locations in 2013 and 2015. The album consists of two lengthy improvised pieces ,which in the old days would have represented the two sides of a vinyl LP. And in 2017 that’s exactly what they have become again with Rune Grammofon also offering a vinyl version of this CD.

The first piece was recorded at N.K. Studios in Berlin on 11th June 2013. Simply titled “Berlin” it commences in unexpectedly ruminative fashion, particularly in view of the ‘noise’ credentials of the two Norwegians. Irabagon blows long, mournful tenor sax melody lines above Hegre’s shadowy guitar and Dronen’s furtive brushwork. The drummer’s role here is very much that of colourist, more Paul Motian than Paal Nilssen-Love. The music evolves slowly and organically, almost elegantly at first, but nevertheless begins to acquire a harder edge as it develops. Irabagon’s tone becomes harsher as he probes more deeply and introduces elements of harmolodics, Hegre widens his range of guitar effects and Dronen’s cymbal work becomes more vigorous. It’s only at around ten minutes in that the trio really begin to force the pace as Irabagon’s sax honks, squawks and squeals, his full on assault bolstered by the kinetic roiling of Dronen’s drums and the furious low end thrum of Hegre’s guitar. However even at his most belligerent Irabagon never entirely abandons his sense of melody, and no matter how loudly the trio rage the music never quite descends into cacophony. Eventually the fury reaches a peak and the music resolves itself with a slightly less fractious dialogue between Irabagon and Dronen, something that they seem to pick up on again some two years later at the start of the second piece.

On 14th January 2015 the trio found themselves in the studio again at New Combo in Fukoka, Japan. The piece “Fukoka” begins with the pecks and slurs of Irabagon’s sax, accompanied by the sounds of key pads and allied to low key commentary from Dronen and Hegre. A more edgy three way dialogue develops featuring Irabagon’s woozy, sometimes overblown sax, Hegre’s edgy, scratchy guitar and the busy shuffle of Dronen’s brushes. Hegre adopts a more strident, metallic guitar sound as he engages in an unsettling dialogue with Irabagon, the saxophonist periodically effecting a Coltrane like rasp. Then it’s back to a more hesitant three way exchange before the mood again becomes edgy and fractious with Hegre’s increasingly urgent guitar scratches and glissandos answered by Irabagon’s correspondingly bellicose saxophone. Eventually the tension is released via a lengthy and incendiary final section that has Irabagon and Hegre clashing head on, both totally ‘going for it’ in a shredding explosion of sound with sax and guitar both screaming fit for bust accompanied by the clatter of drums and the sizzle of cymbals.

“Fukoka” is more obviously ‘improvised’ than its more measured “Berlin” counterpart and makes greater use of extended sax and guitar techniques but both pieces have much to offer the adventurous listener. Irabagon’s astonishing technique is given free rein and inevitably impresses, as always. Nevertheless he’s given excellent support by his two Norwegian colleagues and one suspects that this trio would represent a tantalising and highly exciting live prospect.

“Axis” is far from an easy listen and isn’t an album for the faint hearted but for all that it’s still more accessible than many free improv records. And it Jon Irabagon / John Hegre / Nils Are Dronen

“Axis”

(Rune Grammofon RCD 2190 and RCD 3190)

Born in 1937 the Filipino-American saxophonist Jon Irabagon has been a fairly regular presence on the Jazzmann web pages, largely due to his involvement with the band Mostly Other People Do The Killing, led by bassist and composer Moppa Elliott. He has also been a member of MOPDTK associates Big Five Chord led by guitarist Jon Lundbom.

A serial collaborator the busy Irabagon works with musicians from both sides of the Atlantic and his other credits include membership of bands led by guitarist Mary Halvorson, trumpeter Dave Douglas and drummers Barry Altschul and Nathaniel Smith. He was recently sighted touring the UK as a member of Scottish drummer and composer Andrew Bain’s all star international Embodied Hope Quartet.

Alongside all of this Irabagon conducts a solo career, one that is just as diverse and interesting as his work with other people. A formidable technician he plays all the main members of the saxophone family with equal brilliance and has even announced his ambition to record a solo album on each of the major horns. He’s mainly associated with tenor and alto so I don’t think he’s got round to soprano and baritone just yet.

“Axis” finds Irabagon collaborating with the Norwegian musicians John Hegre (guitar) and Nils Are Dronen (drums). The pair have worked on projects together since 1995 as well as conducting solo careers and working with other musicians.

Hegre, aged 49, is also a songwriter and sound engineer and besides his jazz credentials is also a pioneer on the Norwegian noise music scene. He co-leads the band Jazkamer together with sound artist/vocalist Lasse Marhaug and has also worked with the bands The Golden Serenades and Kaptein Kaliber. Others with whom he has collaborated include experimental vocalist Maja Ratkje and the versatile Helge Sten aka Deathprod, musician, sound artist, producer and member of Supersilent. In all Hegre has appeared on a total nearly fifty recordings.

Like Hegre Dronen is based in Bergen and is also a member of Jazkamer. The two musicians are also members of the band The Last Hurrah! founded by guitarist and producer HP Gundersen. It was Gundersen who first met Irabagon in New York and subsequently introduced him to Hegre and Dronen when the American visited Bergen. Establishing a strong musical friendship with his Norwegian cohorts Irabagon guested on the Last Hurrah! album “The Beauty Of Fake”.

Irabagon’s bond with Hegre and Dronen subsequently led to this improvised trio recording recorded at two different sessions in two different locations in 2013 and 2015. The album consists of two lengthy improvised pieces ,which in the old days would have represented the two sides of a vinyl LP. And in 2017 that’s exactly what they have become again with Rune Grammofon also offering a vinyl version of this CD.

The first piece was recorded at N.K. Studios in Berlin on 11th June 2013. Simply titled “Berlin” it commences in unexpectedly ruminative fashion, particularly in view of the ‘noise’ credentials of the two Norwegians. Irabagon blows long, mournful tenor sax melody lines above Hegre’s shadowy guitar and Dronen’s furtive brushwork. The drummer’s role here is very much that of colourist, more Paul Motian than Paal Nilssen-Love. The music evolves slowly and organically, almost elegantly at first, but nevertheless begins to acquire a harder edge as it develops. Irabagon’s tone becomes harsher as he probes more deeply and introduces elements of harmolodics, Hegre widens his range of guitar effects and Dronen’s cymbal work becomes more vigorous. It’s only at around ten minutes in that the trio really begin to force the pace as Irabagon’s sax honks, squawks and squeals, his full on assault bolstered by the kinetic roiling of Dronen’s drums and the furious low end thrum of Hegre’s guitar. However even at his most belligerent Irabagon never entirely abandons his sense of melody, and no matter how loudly the trio rage the music never quite descends into cacophony. Eventually the fury reaches a peak and the music resolves itself with a slightly less fractious dialogue between Irabagon and Dronen, something that they seem to pick up on again some two years later at the start of the second piece.

On 14th January 2015 the trio found themselves in the studio again at New Combo in Fukoka, Japan. The piece “Fukoka” begins with the pecks and slurs of Irabagon’s sax, accompanied by the sounds of key pads and allied to low key commentary from Dronen and Hegre. A more edgy three way dialogue develops featuring Irabagon’s woozy, sometimes overblown sax, Hegre’s edgy, scratchy guitar and the busy shuffle of Dronen’s brushes. Hegre adopts a more strident, metallic guitar sound as he engages in an unsettling dialogue with Irabagon, the saxophonist periodically effecting a Coltrane like rasp. Then it’s back to a more hesitant three way exchange before the mood again becomes edgy and fractious with Hegre’s increasingly urgent guitar scratches and glissandos answered by Irabagon’s correspondingly bellicose saxophone. Eventually the tension is released via a lengthy and incendiary final section that has Irabagon and Hegre clashing head on, both totally ‘going for it’ in a shredding explosion of sound with sax and guitar both screaming fit for bust accompanied by the clatter of drums and the sizzle of cymbals.

“Fukoka” is more obviously ‘improvised’ than its more measured “Berlin” counterpart and makes greater use of extended sax and guitar techniques but both pieces have much to offer the adventurous listener. Irabagon’s astonishing technique is given free rein and inevitably impresses, as always. Nevertheless he’s given excellent support by his two Norwegian colleagues and one suspects that this trio would represent a tantalising and highly exciting live prospect.

“Axis” is far from an easy listen and isn’t an album for the faint hearted but for all that it’s still more accessible than many free improv records. And it certainly confirms Irabagon’s status as one of the most gifted sax improvisers on the planet.
Reviewed by: Ian Mann

muzycy:
Jon Irabagon: Saxophone
Nils Are Dronen: Drums
John Hegre: Guitar

utwory:
A1. Berlin 17:43
B1. Fukuoka 18:56

wydano: 17.02.2017
nagrano: recorded at. n. k. berlin 11th june 2013 and at new combo fukuoka 14th january 2015

more info: www.runegrammofon.com
more info2: jonirabagon.com