Arve Henriksen, trumpet – Cartography – ECM

by | Jun 10, 2009 | Jazz CD Reviews | 0 comments

Arve Henriksen, trumpet – Cartography – ECM B0012444-02 **** [Release date: May 5, 09]:

(Arve Henriksen, trumpet; Jan Bang, samples; Audun Kleive, percussion/beats/programming; David Sylvian, voice; Heldge Sunde, string arrangements/programming; Eivind Aarset, guitars; Lars Danielsson, doublebass; Erik Honoré, synth/samples; Steve Jansen, samples; Arnaud Mercier, treatments; Trio Medieval, voices; Vérene Andronikof, vocals; Anna Maria Friman, voice)

Arve Henriksen is a Norwegian jazz trumpet player who is inspired by the sound of the Japanese shakuhachi.  He achieves a unique flute-like sound on his instrument, and has done several albums for the Rune Grammofon label as well as for ECM. On the latter he has performed with Norwegian pianist Trygve Seim and others, but this is his first solo outing. Henriksen has also recorded with Jon Balkes Magnetic North Orchestra, Supersilent, and Food for Quartet.

This CD is more strongly electronic than his previous work.  Producer Jan Bang has put together some very interesting electronica here – textured, floating, often quite orchestral, with all sorts of subtle ambient details. The sound reminded me of trumpeter Jon Hassell’s albums on some of the tracks.  On the track “Recording Angel” the vocalizations of the Trio Mediaeval are featured, and on two of the other of the dozen tracks poet David Sylvian reads his own poetry over the music, his quiet approach fitting in well with the album’s approach. I’ve been resistant towards electronica and jazz, but Henriksen seems to have it together in this effort. I was only wishing the disc could have been in hi-res surround for a more immersing effect

TrackList:

      1. Poverty And Its Opposite            
      2. Before And Afterlife            
      3. Migration            
      4. From Birth            
      5. Ouija            
      6. Recording Angel            
      7. Assembly            
      8. Loved One            
      9. The Unremarkable Child            
    10. Famine’s Ghost            
    11. Thermal            
    12. Sorrow And Its Opposite

— John Henry

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