Arild Andersen - Clouds In My Head (1975)

Sticking with ECM for the moment, but heading back into the 70s for another legendary bassist, here's the debut album as leader by the always prolific Arild Andersen, in an all-Norse quartet.  Starting off with the bright swing of 305 W 8th Street (singer Shiela Jordan's NYC address where Andersen once stayed), the intricate, melodic bassline that takes flight makes it unmistakeable whose album this is right from the off.

From there on, there's gentle, reflective material like Last Song (placed second, natch) and the gorgeous Song For A Sad Day (Knut Riisnæs taking a leaf from Garbarek's book, perhaps even more so in the title track).  The mellowness is interspersed with more uptempo tracks like Outhouse, which brings to mind The Windup from Belonging in its tightly-wound theme, the pensive Cycles, and the closing blast of The Sword Beneath His Wings, which was featured in Anderson's firey Molde set of 1981 (link below).  Jon Balke is a perfect, sympathetic pianist throughout, and Andersen's compositional and playing talents make this a lovely record to return to over and over.

link

pw: sgtg

Previously posted at SGTG:
Shimri

Green Shading Into Blue
Molde Concert
and featuring Arild Andersen:
Afric Pepperbird
Triptykon
Popofoni
In Line
Bluish

Achirana

Mathias Eick - Midwest (2015)

Third album as leader for Norwegian trumpeter Mathias Eick, and probably one of the finest ECM albums of the last decade.  For me, it gets in to such esteemed company as Wisława for much the same reasons: having an inspired lineup playing at the top of its game on some superb compositions.

Eick's inspiration for this album was a tour of the US where he travelled through the rural Midwest.  Struck by the landscape's resemblance to his native land, he wondered if early Norwegian immigrants to the area had thought the same.  To translate this migratory concept into music, Eick scaled back the more contemporary sound of his breakthrough album Skala, and added folk violinist Gjermund Larsen.

 

The result was an inspired coupling of Eick's lyrical, Chet Baker/Kenny Wheeler inspired melodicism with an earthy folkiness that really makes these wide-open-space melodies stick in your brain, and rewards repeat plays.  Jon Balke's beautifully understated piano and the rhythm section of Mats Eilertsen/Helge Norbakken are the perfect foil to Eick and Larsen's soaring melodies.  Highly recommended.

link

pw: sgtg