AAJ Review: Hayden Powell, Roots and Stems

[jkelman]

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My review of trumpeter Hayden Powell's Roots and Stems, today at All About Jazz.

For those who think the Norwegian jazz scene is all about electronics, sampling and processing (not that there's anything wrong with that), one look at Hayden Powell, born in England but relocated to Norway as a young child, and any such accusations and generalizations are quickly put to rest. A trumpeter on the ascendance with Magic Pocket and the esteemed Trondheim Jazz Orchestra, Powell recently replaced Mathias Eick in Finish pianist/harpist Iro Haarla's quintet, and so it's only a matter of time before the trumpeter makes a showing on an ECM recording and garners more international acclaim.

Until then, with the internet making access far easier, his trajectory with TJO and Magic Pocket has been easy to follow, as well as Powell's own recordings, starting with 2011's appealing The Attic (Inner Ear), a sextet date also featuring saxophonist Tore Brunborg, who's gotten a lot of international ink for his work with artists like Manu Katche, Tord Gustavsen and Ketil Bjornstad. Roots and Stems reduces The Attic's sextet to a trio, capitalizing and deepening the chemistry begun on that recording. Rejoined by pianist Eyolf Dale and bassist Jo Skaansar, Powell's decision to eschew a drummer might categorize Roots and Stems as chamber jazz on paper, but it actually swings with a propulsive verve in places that's both a complete and pleasant surprise.

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