Home » Jazz Articles » Album Review » Eveneven Big Band: Eveneven

221

Eveneven Big Band: Eveneven

By

Sign in to view read count
Eveneven Big Band: Eveneven
Norwegian trombonist Even Kruse Skatrud (now Even Skatrud Andersen after his recent marriage) selects a handful of charts from the many compositions he had previously scored over the last ten years to produce Eveneven, his debut album as leader with his own big band. With only eight players listed as personnel on the album, the Eveneven Big Band should only be considered a medium ensemble instead of a real big band which typically consists of between twelve and nineteen musicians.

Yet when you listen to the music it's easy to be mislead in believing that you're listening to a large orchestra. With the fine arrangements, orchestrations and the assistance of a little overdubbing, Andersen manages to deliver a quality big band sound throughout. An example of this "Good Weather, which Skatrud Andersen records with only the drums, the trombonist overdubbing ten trombones to create a big band sound which, of course, could only be achieved with the aid of technology.

With few exceptions, the music is generally lively. "Forgotten, perhaps the best track on the album, happens to be a beautiful slow ballad featuring the woodwind section and Anders Aarum on a fine piano solo. The finale, "Streaming, is another very tasteful ballad arrangement. "Ten Dollar Blues, is the other exception here, offering a rather slow and dark sound like the music you would hear in a New Orleans style funeral march.

The majority of the tunes are clearly upbeat big band orchestrations, starting off with "Tiny Elephant, which the leader uses to introduce the sound of his trombone on a solo chase followed by saxophonist Børge-Are Halvorsen and a measured drum roll by Børre Dalhaug. There are two big band arrangements that rise above the rest here—"It's Gumbo Time and the very swinging, Basie-like "La Premiere Fois.

Andersen makes things interesting by featuring a "fuzz trombone on the jazz/rock number "Tendenser, and scores a heavy pulsating beat on the funky "Slide Away, on which he provides another fashionable trombone solo. For a first outing Eveneven should be well-received by big band audiences and critics alike. Skatrud Andersen has put together one very fine album with big band arrangements delivering a unique sound.

Track Listing

Tiny Elephant; Mr. Johnson; It

Personnel

Even Kruse Skatrud (Andersen): leader, trombone; Frank Brodahl, Marius Holtli: trumpet; B

Album information

Title: Eveneven | Year Released: 2007 | Record Label: Schmell

Comments

Tags


For the Love of Jazz
Get the Jazz Near You newsletter All About Jazz has been a pillar of jazz since 1995, championing it as an art form and, more importantly, supporting the musicians who create it. Our enduring commitment has made "AAJ" one of the most culturally important websites of its kind, read by hundreds of thousands of fans, musicians and industry figures every month.

You Can Help
To expand our coverage even further and develop new means to foster jazz discovery and connectivity we need your help. You can become a sustaining member for a modest $20 and in return, we'll immediately hide those pesky ads plus provide access to future articles for a full year. This winning combination will vastly improve your AAJ experience and allow us to vigorously build on the pioneering work we first started in 1995. So enjoy an ad-free AAJ experience and help us remain a positive beacon for jazz by making a donation today.

More

What Was Happening
Bobby Wellins Quartet
Laugh Ash
Ches Smith
A New Beat
Ulysses Owens, Jr. and Generation Y

Popular

Eagle's Point
Chris Potter
Light Streams
John Donegan - The Irish Sextet

Get more of a good thing!

Our weekly newsletter highlights our top stories, our special offers, and upcoming jazz events near you.