Håkon Kornstad, the untold leader of Wibutee,
is one of the brightest young talents of the effervescent
Scandinavian jazz scene. From an early age, he developed
an interest for the music of Stan Getz and tried to
emulate his bossa style when he got his first sax, before
discovering the work of Michael Brecker, John Coltrane,
Pharoah Sanders, Albert Ayler and Jan Garbarek. In 1996,
he formed Wibutee with Per Zanussi (bass) and Welte
Holte (drums) with in mind the idea to fuse jazz and
electronica. The band were joined by singer Live Maria
Roggen, and shortly after got signed to Jazzland Records
and released their first album, Newborn Thing.
Kornstad also joined Jazzland boss Bugge Wesseltoft
and his New Conceptions Of Jazz formation and played
with them for five years. After the first Wibutee album,
Kornstad, Zanussi and Holte decided to focus on instrumental
jazz and were joined by Rune Brøndbo, who had
released electronic music under the Sternklang moniker.
Wibutee’s second album, Eight Domestic Challenges
(2002) explored a wider sonic range and incorporated
elements of dance culture more openly. Kornstad also
teamed up with legendary Norwegian drummer Paal Nilssen-Love
and bass player Mats Eilertsen to form the Kornstad
Trio and released Space Available that same
year,and regularly collaborates with Nilssen-Love on
the Lo-Ko project.
After touring intensively with both Wibutee and the
Kornstad Trio, Håkon Kornstad revives the Wibutee
machine and present Playmachine, the band’s
third album. Led by Kornstad’s haunting sax and
flutes, and supported by a strong rhythmic section,
Playmachine is contemporary jazz at its more
enjoyable. At once creative, clever and captivating,
yet accessible and emotional, this album refuses to
settle down as the band explores a wide range of sonic
landscapes, from the funk-infused title track, Ear
Traffic or Rodeo-activity to the experimental
Glør, We Are In Space, So Are You
and Mummy or the vast plains of Country
Practice and Gerewol. Wibutee not only
bend jazz forms to accommodate their unique sound, but
also apply emotional touches on their musical canvas
to highlight its contrasts and details. The music is
often incredibly complex, with melodic lines developing
in different directions, yet Playmachine is
no chaotic journey. Used to play together in live environments,
the band simply apply similar structures on record,
appearing to improvise at length, yet remaining concise
in their compositions. Melodies float over the background
structures, enriched with Brøndbo’s discreet
electronic notes and Kornstad’s tonal colours.
The title track, which opens this album, sums up the
mood: as the relentless drum and bass section defines
the basic structure, Kornstad’s luxuriant melodic
lines take shape almost out of nowhere to create a multitude
of colourful forms before disappearing almost instantly.
Sometimes creating denser moments, as on the tensed
1-800-Skauen, the quartet weaves intricate
tonalities together that constantly appear to affect
the mood of the piece. Country Practice and
Gitlat evolve on less contrasted grounds as
Wibutee craft ethereal melodies and restrained atmospheric
swathes of sounds, as if a coat of snow had fallen over
the rugged angles of the band’s music and soften
its sharp edges.
Playmachine is an extremely complex record
, yet it remains fully accessible and touching by its
apparent simplicity. Since the release of their second
album, Wibutee have very regularly performed live, gaining
in confidence and maturity, and this album reflects
a more subtle approach, making it both the band’s
most inspiring and accomplished record to date.
4.7/5 |
