Home » Jazz Articles » Album Review » Mirage Ensemble: Memory Happens Now

19

Mirage Ensemble: Memory Happens Now

By

View read count
Mirage Ensemble: Memory Happens Now
One of the things that is worth noticing about the new generation of jazz musicians in Norway is how they seamlessly combine genres and create their own expression. Of course, blending genres has been a part of jazz music almost since the beginning, but jazz has also become an idiom of its own with certain conventions: solos, swing, standards and not least improvisation.

Like much post-modern jazz, Mirage Ensemble challenges these conventions, but the musicians keep in touch with the essential credo of jazz as the sound of surprise. The compositions on their album Memory Happens Now are musical metamorphoses that incorporate different genre codes. For instance, guitarist Marius Igland changes between sophisticated chord progressions, single-line patterns, mournful slide guitar and distorted power chords.

Bassist Steinar Glas is a master of the groove. In the midst of the many changes in tempi, he keeps a fluent, funky groove that anchors the compositions together with drummer Jens Nyland's propulsive rhythms.

Another asset in the band is the brass section with trumpet, trombone and saxophone. They can play with the exhilaration of a brass band street march and the punch of a big band, but there's also room for quiet contemplation on a fluorescent ballad like "Pursuit of the Ideal" where saxophonist Joakim Bergsrønnning's cool, spacious tone has a hint of Norway's iconic saxophonist Jan Garbarek, but Bergsrønning also plays with fire in his belly on "Valuing the Sacred" where he delivers a heated solo.

While it would be relevant to sum up the qualities of each musician in this talented ensemble, individual excursions isn't really the point of this group whose aesthetic relies on group improvisation, rather than long individual solos. Together they create a kind of Nordic fusion whose changing rhythms and melodies are graced by an invisible tranquility that balances the exploratory nature of the compositions. A swinging smokescreen and musical mirage worth hearing.

Track Listing

Perspectiva; Conception; The Essence; K2; Valuing the Sacred; Pursuit of the Ideal; Unpredictable; Talk Less, Say More; 23/7.

Personnel

Mirage Band
band / ensemble / orchestra

Marius Igland: guitar; Joakim Bergsrønning: saxophone; Magnus Drågen: trumpet; Lars Sutterud: trombone; Steinar Glas: bass; Jens Nyland: drums.

Album information

Title: Memory Happens Now | Year Released: 2014 | Record Label: Losen Records

Tags

Comments


PREVIOUS / NEXT




Support All About 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 make 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.

Go Ad Free!

To maintain our platform while developing new means to foster jazz discovery and connectivity, we need your help. You can become a sustaining member for as little as $20 and in return, we'll immediately hide those pesky ads plus provide access to future articles for a full year. This winning combination vastly improves 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.

Near

More

Tramonto
John Taylor
Ki
Natsuki Tamura / Satoko Fujii
Duality Pt: 02
Dom Franks' Strayhorn
The Sound of Raspberry
Tatsuya Yoshida / Martín Escalante

Popular

Old Home/New Home
The Brian Martin Big Band
My Ideal
Sam Dillon
Ecliptic
Shifa شفاء - Rachel Musson, Pat Thomas, Mark Sanders
Lado B Brazilian Project 2
Catina DeLuna & Otmaro Ruíz

Get more of a good thing!

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

Install All About Jazz

iOS Instructions:

To install this app, follow these steps:

All About Jazz would like to send you notifications

Notifications include timely alerts to content of interest, such as articles, reviews, new features, and more. These can be configured in Settings.