Talk about this release has concerned itself with how
it represents the closest the acclaimed Norwegian label
Rune Grammofon have come to releasing a straightforward
jazz record. It is true that In The Country’s
personnel are the same as that of the archetypal jazz
trio of piano, bass and drums. However, first track
Where Can We Go sounds more like Bill Evans
taking Emperor Joseph II’s admonition ‘Too
many notes, my dear Mozart’ to heart. It is a
beautiful arrangement of pendant notes, but its ancestry
is more Brian Eno than Evans or Cecil Taylor.
Beaver Creek’s pace is slowed down to
the point of being almost stationary. From its thrumming
bass to its distant percussion, everything about its
first half oozes studious lassitude. By its midpoint
however, the music rouses itself to a shuddering climax
before sinking back, once again, into exhausted lethargy.
In My Time Of Need is homespun and plaintive,
the blues and reds of its familiar patterns sun-bleached
but still visible.
Of the three players, it is the pianist, Morten Qvenild,
whose name might just ring a bell or two: he was the
Magical Orchestra to Susanna
Wallumrod on last year’s
List Of Lights And Buoys. He is joined
by Roger Arntzen on oaky double bass, and Pal Hausken’s
attentive and subtle percussion and rare vocals. The
whole album is beautifully recorded; each sonic detail
sits beautifully within the wider musical context, conveying
a rich sense of perspective. The connection to jazz
is occasional, just as there’s a tangential connection
to the blues. It doesn’t really matter of course.
In The Country’s roots sound as though they reach
equally into the rich mulch of soundtracks or folk or
gospel. Having said that, if you’re a fan of the
more lyrical, meditative elements of Esbjorn Svensson
Trio or The Bad Plus then this will be for you. Whatever
the genealogy, This Was The Pace Of My Heartbeat
makes for beautiful instrumental music.
Colin Buttimer
3.5/5 |
