AAJ Review: Christian Wallumrød Ensemble, Outstairs
My review of Christian Wallumrød Ensemble's latest ECM outing, Outstairs, today at All About Jazz.
Those fortunate enough to have caught the ensemble in its brief Canadian tour this past summer will have heard the majority of this recording, in which baroque harp player Giovanna Pessi is replaced by tenor saxophonist Espen Reinertsen - who, along with Ensemble trumpeter Eivind Lønning, make up the improvising duo, Streifenjunko, bringing another kind of chemistry to the group's extant collective sound, one where their instruments are explored and expanded through a wide range of extended techniques.
Pianist Wallumrød continues to compose rigorous music that allows for improvisation more through interpretation than extemporization, and his pieces often unfold gradually, so imperceptibly that it's only when you lift your head up and hear how far they've come that you realize they evolved as much as they have.
Contrasting introspective explorations with outgoing bursts of angularity, where periods of darkness and light, rounded surfaces and sharp edges, avant-informed palettes and starkly beautiful themes are seamlessly juxtaposed and combined, Outstairs is a both a welcome return for Christian Wallumrød Ensemble and the pianist/composer's most successful fusion of his multifarious musical concerns to-date.
Review here.
Dave, sorry, no idea. Michael is planning to move it to another service provider, and there's time and $$ involved, both of which he's trying to raise. We have someone, a friend of one of our longstanding board members, who's ready, willing and able to manage the move, but we cannot do until we have the $$. Hopefully soon, but I'm not directly involved in this so cannot give you anything more definitive, sorry to say.
Your patience and understanding are, however, much appreciated. Michael posted a press release about it a little over a week ago, FYI.
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