Home » Jazz Articles » Album Review » Herb Robertson / Mark Solborg: [NOD]

319

Herb Robertson / Mark Solborg: [NOD]

By

View read count
Herb Robertson / Mark Solborg: [NOD]
In 2008, Danish guitarist Mark Solborg invited New Jersey trumpeter Herb Robertson to join his quartet. Around the same time, they laid down the tracks for this duo set in Copenhagen. Although Robertson can boast much more of a substantial history within the global sweep of jazz improvisation, this meeting possesses a strong sense of egalitarianism, where Solborg's contribution stands on an equal level. It seems as though Robert Louis Stevenson's poem "The Land Of Nod" had a significant influence on the coalescence of the duo's working concept, not only in terms of giving title ideas, but also in perhaps attempting to identify the mysterious source of musical magic itself.

The first two pieces are slight and brief, as the players pensively discuss a shared sense of sparseness. "NOD" (in this case) stands for Night Observation Device and it's followed by "At Bart Bok's Place," which becomes almost fidgety, as Robertson draws tight squiggles in the air, Solborg dampening his strings but still making soft strikes. The third tune, "Celestials," is smoother, as chords hang diaphanously against lyrical horn statements.

Solborg is capable of great diversity in terms of his amplifier sound. For "Crepuscule In The Land Of Nod" he adopts a very Bill Frisell-ian tone indeed, becoming tender at greater length. By its close, the mantle of dominance has been passed to Robertson, who lets out a vaulting call to conclude. When it comes to "Komplet Komplot (Perfect Conspiracy)," Solborg has morphed into a voice that descends from the angular, clustered strokes of Derek Bailey or Fred Frith. Meanwhile, Robertson is drooling and fluttering into his mouthpiece. Once again, the mood transforms back to restful for "Fabular," inhabiting a spacious vista. Even though this pair is working with deliberately restricted tools, the mere fitting of a trumpet mute or tweaking of an effects dial can completely alter their sonic language.

Track Listing

N.O.D.(Night Observation Device); At Bart Bok's Place; Celestials; Crepuscule In The Land Of Nod; Blisters Burn; Komplet Komplot (Perfect Conspiracy); Fabular; Twisted Lip; Saint.

Personnel

Herb Robertson: trumpet, voice; Mark Solborg: guitar.

Album information

Title: [NOD] | Year Released: 2009 | Record Label: ILK Music

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.