Reykjavík Grapevine - 06.12.2013, Blaðsíða 19

christmas extravaganza
at Borg Restaurant
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SKÓLAVÖRÐUSTÍGUR 14 - 101 REYKJAVÍK - 571 1100
After years of study,
strings of awards and
having led kitchens of
some of Reykjavík’s most
esteemed restaurants,
Gústav still sees him
self as just a kid from
up north, with a life-
time passion for fish.
19 Music
Daníel Bjarnason
Samúel Jón Samúelsson
Big Band
Over Light Earth
2013
Fascinating, vast, yet
remarkably intimate.
4 Hliðar
2012
Unexpected Big Band Jams
Don’t call this experimental.
A common misnomer in
contemporary classical music
is the term “experimental.”
If there is anything experimental
about composer Daníel Bjarnason’s
newest record ‘Over Light Earth’ it is
the listener’s ability to experiment with
preconceived expectations of classical
music. This record is intentional, poignant,
and brimming with profound vision.
It is unflinching, and simultaneously
unpretentious.
‘Over Light Earth’ marks Daníel’s
third release and second solo album
on the Reykjavík-based Bedroom
Community label. While Bedroom
Community is certainly host to a
tour de force roster of artists, with a
reputation for a vibrant collaborative work
philosophy, this record truly maintains its
own voice. Moving from flurried rushing
intensity, to drifting breath—like passages,
notes hang in air as if thrown up—not
to be placed, but rather to hear their
structural fall. See “Solitudes IV. Selge
Ruh.”
The record is comprised of three
distinct pieces or movements: Over
Light Earth, Emergence, and Solitudes.
The title movement was commissioned
by the LA Philharmonic for their 2013
season. The arc connecting the music is
as ethereal as light itself—a sonic nebula
harbouring each individual piece without
necessarily defining it. Similarly there is
a microscopic/macroscopic relationship
existing between each instrument and
its overall composition. While this seems
like an obvious desired outcome for any
recording, it is accomplished here by
close-miking each individual instrument:
a fairly unconventional technique in
orchestral music. The outcome is a
fascinatingly intimate listening experience
with stunning result.
This work sees Daníel at a new high
in his already remarkable career. The
more the listener engages with this work
the more they will ultimately get out of it.
While this record may not be for the faint
of heart or casual listen, the time invested
is immensely rewarding.
On Samúel Jón Samúelsson’s
retro-styled album ‘4
Hliðar’ (“Four Sides”, as in
vinyl), the composer uses
an extended album format to give
listeners over an hour and a half of
funk-laden tunes. The album shows
Samúel’s expert orchestrations for his
jazz-based ensemble, letting harmonies
blend deliciously between trumpets,
saxophones, trombones, guitar, bass, and
drums.
The main choruses on the album
are excellently hum-able, and the
improvisations are carefully thought
out—there are no players here who’d try
to impress you by playing a whole lotta
notes, claiming they’re “free jazz.” There
are some major funk influences here,
for sure, from the Hammond organ in
“Ordeo ad Chao” and the Iceland-ified
“Afróbít,” to the hypnotic dub aptly titled
“Dubnotica.” While “Ethiopian” veers a
little too jam-band, and the 1970s soul
sounds can almost seem like game-show
music, most of the time you find yourself
swaying with the groove that you can’t
help but enjoy.
Some of the coolest moments on
the album are when the ensemble steps
out of its big-band role into something
altogether new; you wouldn’t expect a
bunch of guys singing dreamy wordless
lullabies, but exactly that happens on
two tracks. “Falafel” is by far the most
unusual track on the album. It begins
with an almost electronic riff, and
the middle of the track is more like a
1970s rock anthem. The track ends
with several minutes of blaring horn
tones—not blaring like a Dizzy Gillespie
solo, but blaring like the horns of the
ships in Reykjavík bay as they pull into
the harbour. The effect, like much of this
album, is mesmerizing.
Words
Burke Jam
Words
Nathan Hall
Album Reviews