Articles by David Bruggink
l'Oumigmag: Ce Qui Tourne Dans L'Air
by David Bruggink
"Oumigmag" means “muskox" in Inuktitut, one of the principal Inuit languages spoken in Canada's northeast and central northern provinces. Sébastien Sauvageau, a multi-instrumentalist and composer based in Québec, drew on his province's musical and Indigenous histories to create the jazz-folk project l'Oumigmag--an effort, he writes, to explore “how past elements (traditional music), present experiences, and future innovations coexist and influence one another." l'Oumigmag debuted as a quartet on Territoires (The 270 Sessions, 2017), expanded to a sextet for ...
Continue ReadingOavette: Oavette LP
by David Bruggink
The fusion of acoustic instrumentation and electronic-influenced composition has a modest but persistent foothold in jazz. Listeners might reference examples like Vijay Iyer Trio's “Hood" from Break Stuff, Nik Bärtsch's Ronin, or perhaps most notably, Dysnomia by Dawn of Midi. Despite the emotional gulf between Dysnomia and, say, Keith Jarrett Trio's Standards in Norway, both albums share a traditional piano trio format and are likely categorized under jazz. Where Jarrett's work is expressive and melodic, Dawn of Midi constructed a ...
Continue ReadingKALI Trio: The Playful Abstract
by David Bruggink
Nik Bärtsch's Ronin Rhythm Records has become a go-to label for hypnotic groove enthusiasts. Established in 2006, its artists share a focus on uncommon time signatures and post-minimalist composition but interpret them in strikingly different ways. For example, Blaer leans towards the more restrained, stately and steady, building to powerful catharsis, similar to the Colin Vallon Trio; HELY invites comparisons with artists on Gondwana Records that elegantly combine jazz instrumentation with indie rock structures. Enter KALI Trio, whose debut ...
Continue ReadingSigurd Hole ensemble: Extinction Sounds
by David Bruggink
Sigurd Hole has proven himself a composer to watch with a string of releases blurring the lines between chamber jazz, modern classical composition and experimentation, often feeling more like organic transmissions than conventional songs. His solo double album Lys / Mørke (Self Produced, 2020) was recorded on the isolated Norwegian island of Fleinvær, and brings the intonations of its birds and biting winds into conversation with the similarly textural manipulations of his bowed and plucked bass. On the striking ensemble recording Roraima ...
Continue ReadingRhythms Meet Algorithms: Sparks Fly When Jazz Musician Oded Tzur Partners With Engineer Vansh Makh
by David Bruggink
Jazz and mobile apps may not be typically mentioned in the same breath, but saxophonist Oded Tzur, celebrated by All About Jazz for a string of albums merging jazz with Indian classical music, is changing that perception. Vansh Makh, a Bay area-based engineer, joined forces with Tzur to create Timeseer, described as “the first and only HiFi Indian classical music app." Timeseer offers a distinctly visual approach to rhythm, portraying complex musical patterns through accessible geometric designs. Devotees ...
Continue ReadingMette Henriette: Drifting
by David Bruggink
With her self-titled double album debut in 2015, Norwegian saxophonist Mette Henriette arrived on ECM Records, and the international jazz scene, with an impressively assured artistic statement. On it she introduced her versatile technical skills, running the gamut from untamed skronk to near-silent breathing, all presented with her wintry perspective--a perfect fit for the chilly atmospheres that have become a trademark of ECM Records. Beyond the stock-in-trade chill of Nordic jazz, Henriette has a particular interest in the textures ...
Continue ReadingJon Balke: Siwan: Hafla
by David Bruggink
A large appeal of ECM Records has always been its encouragement of cross-cultural collaboration. Across countries and genres, listeners and critics alike have reveled in records from Codona (1979) to Le Pas du Chat Noir (2001), Chants, Hymns and Dances (2004) and Arco Iris (2011). There is joy in seeing musicians from diverse backgrounds come together to have their compositions treated with ECM's trademark recording quality. Norwegian composer, keyboardist, and percussionist Jon Balke's Siwan project, now in its third incarnation, has seen multiple arrangements ...
Continue ReadingOded Tzur: Isabela
by David Bruggink
Saxophonist Oded Tzur burst onto the jazz scene in 2012 with a remarkable approach to his instrument that drew upon his studies with Hariprasad Chaurasia, a master of Hindustani Classical music. Joining pianist Shai Maestro, bassist Petros Klampanis, and drummer Ziv Ravitz, he formed a New York-based quartet that began performing locally and ultimately released a debut album, Like a Great River (Yellowbird), in 2015. On that thrilling recording, the wider world was exposed to Tzur's unique mélange of Indian ragas, ...
Continue ReadingTord Gustavsen Trio: Opening
by David Bruggink
After 2018's stellar The Other Side, Tord Gustavsen again graces listeners with a trio format. On this outing, ecologically-minded double bassist Sigurd Hole is replaced by ECM newcomer Steinar Raknes. A prolific recording artist with everything from dusky alt-country and americana to post-bop and free jazz to his name, Raknes introduces new flavors to the trio's palette. Gustavsen, along with stalwart percussionist Jarle Vespestad, proves to be an ideal collaborator with Raknes' diverse musical background. Opening begins even less conspicuously than ...
Continue ReadingSigurd Hole: Roraima
by David Bruggink
Norwegian upright bassist Sigurd Hole has stood out in the recent past as both a contributor (with his elegant performance on Tord Gustavsen's 2018 ECM album, The Other Side) and bandleader (through his 2018 Elvesang album Encounters). His solo explorations are equally noteworthy, as on the wide-ranging double album Lys / Mørke (Elvesang, 2020). Recorded on the remote arctic islands of Fleinvær, he thoughtfully probed the relationship between the high-pitched harmonics and drones of his instrument and the spectral winds ...
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