ARILD ANDERSEN GROUP

Beguiling improv from Nordic bass maestro.

SS

Affirmation ECM Sometimes the best things happen by chance. Having entered the studio to record with his new group, bassist Arild Andersen suggested they improvise. The result is the exquisite Affirmation Part I and Affirmation Part II. At 23 minutes and 14 minutes respectively, they show musicians discovering startlingly beautiful tunes out of the air in real time. Lacking any post-production editing, it’s thrilling, sensuous stuff. Marius Neset’s plaintive sax occasionally evokes Wayne Shorter’s lyricism, while Andersen’s FX-enhanced runs and bowed bass conjures cavernous depths and whale song. Pianist Helge Lien’s luminous, clustered notes and Håkon Mjåset Johansen’s insistent brushstrokes galvanise a set that’s as energetic as it is comfortable with the proximity of silence as a key ingredient. The album is completed by remaining track Short Story. It’s welcome…

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Prog (Digital) - 1 Issue, Issue 137

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