Bjorkenheim, Raoul: Ecstasy

Holy 1970s! When I first began listening to this, I immediately thought of 2 guitarists, one being Terje Rypdal and the other Sonny Sharrock. I thought of Rypdal is the kind of attack that Bjorkenheim uses, and of Sharrock for the writing and free jazz approaches used by this band. This is first noticeable right off the bat on "Pueblo Unido" as soon as the guitar solo begins. What you hear would not be out of place on one of Rypdal's early ECM releases. But unlike Rypdal, whose early music was more fusion-ish, this music is freer and more improvisatory. The interplay among the 4 musicians is incredible. All are Finns, and include in addition to Bjorkenheim, Pauli Lyytinen on saxes, Jori Huhtala on bass and Marku Ounaskari on drums. It may be that as Finns they have breathed the same glacial air as Rypdal, as this music has that same kind of density and feel that Rypdal's best also has.

Each song carries wonderful synchronicity among the players, jagged yet fluid guitar playing, tonal and atonal sax solos and wonderful support from the rhythm section. Lyytinen is a real find for me, though he has a checkered history with a number of ensembles. His playing moves from inside to out with complete ease; his solos have their own logic and drive. "Sos" is a great example, where he begins playing over a driving beat, and then takes his solo into almost a sheet-of-sound direction.

I love this stuff! It is both a throwback and a move into the future. It is different from past work by Bjorkenheim, but it bodes well for what is to come. And live these guys must be ballbusters.

Track Listings

1. Pueblo Unido
2. Sos
3. Deeper
4. No Delay
5. Through the Looking Glass
6. As Luck Would have It
7. Subterranean Samba
8. Threshold
9. The Sky is Ruby

Added: February 12th 2014
Reviewer: Dana Lawrence
Score:
Related Link: Artist Website
Hits: 1868
Language: english

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