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Hilmar
Jensson
Tyft
(SGL
1542-2; 24-bit recording, CD)
Release date: Sept 2002 (Can); Oct 2002 (U.S.)
Hilmar
Jensson (electric/acoustic guitars, electronics), Jim Black (drums,
melodica, electronics, virtual instruments), Andrew D'Angelo (alto saxophone,
bass clarinet, electronics)
Icelandic guitarist Hilmar Jensson formed a new trio with his downtown
NY pals, Jim Black and Andrew D'Angelo, for this record of jagged grooves,
unpredictable improvs, and live electronic transformations. A provocative
atmosphere hovers over the proceedings: nothing goes on for very long,
and there are frequent change-ups of tone and style. D'Angelo's acerbic
alto sax and bass clarinet sounds combine with Jensson's stringent lines
and Black's slashing attack, but equally there are moments of disquieting
reverie, and it's all performed with composure and conviction. Although
quite free in part the music is highly organized; if Webern were alive
today and into avant-jazz/rock this is the road he might be taking.
Jensson
writes: "Even if we have been playing together for over a decade,
this is the first time we have performed and recorded just the three
of us. We met in Boston in 1990 when Jim and I were attending Berklee
and Andrew was working as head of the Jazz department at Tower Records,
and together with Chris Speed, Skuli Sverrisson and others developed
a close musical bond. More importantly we've had a strong friendship
since then, and those ties got even stronger when I lived in New York
'93-'94 and the three of us shared a Brooklyn flat together with Chris.
Upstairs neighbors were saxist Oscar Noriega and trumpet player Cuong
Vu, and our area was filled with musicians like Tim Berne, Mark Dresser,
Brad Shepik, Kurt Rosenwinkel, Ben Monder, Jamie Saft and Ben Street,
just to name a few. All were frequent visitors to our basement where
rehearsals and jams were everyday occurrences. This, together with my
collaboration with Skuli during that time and frequently going to hear
music at the Knitting Factory and Cooler, has made it the most important
period in my early musical growth.
"With
Tyft I am sort of revisiting this period, taking the musical ideas that
initially brought us together and expanding them. We have all changed
immensely as musicians since our early meeting developed our direction,
voices and skill; discovered different ideas and musics that have triggered
our passions, and of course gained tremendous experience by playing
with various projects all over the world. We have found our way to infuse
the most important elements of music -- passion and conviction -- into
whatever situations we encounter, and it proved to be very easy on this
project, mostly because the trust between us is complete. My intention
was to see if we could blend together our composed melodic and rhythmic
ideas and our improvisation with the electronic world that we all have
a fascination for. Not an uncommon attempt, but I had in mind a unique
blend that I had not heard elsewhere. The music is not heavily composed,
mainly consisting of melodies and forms that we worked around; many
of the compositions finally came together in the editing, when we put
together melodies, improvs and electronics that were recorded separately...Tyft
is not a word as far as I know. Tyfta is an Icelandic word however and
means 'to put someone in his place' or even punish someone."
"An
exceptional musician and unique guitarist" (DV, Iceland),
Hilmar Jensson was born in Reykjavik in 1966 and graduated from Berklee
in 1991. Back in Reykjavik since '94, he has performed on over 30 records,
including four as leader or co-leader (three of them for the Icelandic
new music/electronic ambient label Bad Taste, including Kjar,
a collaboration with Skuli Sverrisson), and two with Black’s AlasNoAxis.
He is one the founders of Kitchen Motors, a genre-busting Icelandic
record label, think-tank and art organization, and performs throughout
Europe with artists ranging from Portuguese guitarist Rafael Toral to
Norwegian trumpeter Arve Henriksen. He has upcoming releases with Sverrisson
and Chicago guitarist Kevin Drumm, and has also performed and/or recorded
with Leo Smith, Eyvind Kang, Greg Bendian, Terje Isungset, and Joel
Palsson.
Jim
Black (b. 1967), is widely admired for his work with Tim Berne’s Bloodcount,
Dave Douglas (Tiny Bell Trio, SGL 1504),
Ellery Eskelin (Jazz Trash, SGL 1506),
Chris Speed’s Yeah No (s/t, SGL 1517,
Deviantics, SGL 1524, and Emit,
SGL 1532), Ben Monder (Flux, SGL 1509),
Uri Caine’s Mahler and Bach Projects, Laurie Anderson, the collective
Pachora, and his quartet AlasNoAxis (Winter & Winter). He also plays
on Hilmar’s 1995 CD Dofinn.
Jim
and Andrew D’Angelo were 2/4 of the collective Human Feel (Speak
to It, SGL 1514). Andrew (b. 1965) currently records/tours with
the Matt Wilson Quartet and the Reid Anderson group and leads his own
big band and small group, Morthana, as well as conducting numerous clinics
and master classes in the US, Europe and Australia. He has also performed/recorded
with Bobby Previte, Erik Friedlander’s Chimera, and Saft/Vu. More information:
www.jimblack.com, www.hilmarjensson.com.
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* Short or Hairy
* Searching for Glick
* Sinbad Glick
* Three Oily Tuesdays
* Uncle Fishhook
* Morthanna
* Yolanda
* Even if...
* Tyft
* Death of a Penguin
* Indelible Scars
* Tyft II
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