Arve Henriksen: The Touch of Time

Nordic trumpeter Arve Henriksen has played jazz, metal, folk, eclectic world music—with a nod to Japanese flute—and more. That caused at least one DJ to tell Henriksen "you are the musical chameleon." He will politely acknowledge that statement but has consistently returned to his chosen ground zero of ambient jazz dominated by subtle improvisation. When Henriksen started playing in the '80s, he often collaborated with other musicians based, like him, in Norway. Since he began recording at the turn of the century, he has increasingly branched out by working and recording with artists from other parts of Europe and from America. For example, his version of Miles Davis' Sketches of Spain from the mid-2000s found him working with renowned composer, arranger and orchestra leader Maria Schneider. When asked about the session, she pointed out that Henriksen has a "gorgeous sound that is unique in the world of trumpet." She went on to say "Arve's tone transcends the instrument. Quite simply, there's nothing like it."

Beyond trumpet, Henriksen is often credited with 'electronics' and has occasionally sung wordless vocalizing which can sound deceptively like a trumpet. For his latest ECM release, Touch of Time, he teamed up with Harmen Fraanje, the innovative Dutch pianist. No-one else participated this time around, that's it. The duo decided to leave behind the potential organic heartbeat of drums and bass or any other instruments.

All compositions are originals and the disc unspools new-age styled musings as it progresses. The pair begin by conjuring up windswept moods with the whispering tones of "Melancholia." It is as if Henriksen's plaintive horn is announcing the arrival of an ancient wooden ship which is drifting and attempting to emerge from a murky, misty fog. As for pianist Fraanje, he reverently interacts with Henriksen by presenting delicate cascades of celestial droplets. Next up, Fraanje initially leads the way on the dreamy "The Beauty of Sundays" while Henriksen pensively emerges like a soothing, warming sunrise. Fraanje again leads the way on the extended "Redream" and, after Henriksen's understated arrival, they slip into a relaxed give-and-take musical dialogue which continues with other pieces such as the delicately crafted "The Dark Light," "What All This Is," "Winter Haze" and others. "Mirror Images," is a bit different as they take a slightly darker journey and dip into a more mysterious pool featuring a breathy trumpet. Throughout Touch of Time, Henriksen and Fraaje repeatedly focus on sculpting moody landscapes. There is a soothing consistency but that also means bold solos or catchy melodies are left behind this time around. Many pieces teasingly fade and evaporate instead of simply ending. Also, with a total running time of forty minutes, the duo offers just the right length and never overstays its welcome. As the last notes recede, the artists ultimately leave listeners wondering and contemplating.