We seem to have many labyrinths in our life at the moment, but none more so than Yann Novak, who has attempted to express his own dilemmas by referencing the myth of Theseus, who rescued his people from the minotaur of King Minos on the island of Crete. But Novak is more interested in the conundrum of the Athenians, who took the ship of Theseus on a long pilgrimage during which time they repaired every bit of it until none of the original parts remained. The “paradox” is similar to that of the axe my grandfather had, with its new handle and new blade. When did it cease to be the ship of Theseus? That’s the question Yann Novak grappled with, while also musing on his own perceptual situation (he has partial colour blindness and also dyslexia), and embarked on this concept album The Voice Of Theseus (ROOM40 RM4192), made with the help of vocalists Gabriel Brenner and Dorian Wood. Studio reprocessing is, I suppose, for him a metaphor of the dismantling and rebuilding of that ancient classical sailing ship, but for all his efforts, he cannot illustrate any of the energy or ingenuity of those ancient pilgrims, nor the tireless actions of their industrious shipwrights. No doubting the reality of Novak’s personal struggles, but the bland, unengaging music fails to convey any truth about them. (01/06/2023)
Norwegian free-jazz on Vindögæ (MOTVIND RECORDS MOT21LP), a conversation between two prominent puffers – Mats Gustafsson and Andreas Hoem Røysum. They did it live at Galleri Galleberg in Norway for a small select audience of avant-music fans in the town of Tønsberg, and it was in December 2021 – that fateful moment when Norway, along with the rest of the world, was about to enter another lockdown under the cruel tongue of the pandemic. In among the acrobatics, triple-tonguing, and swooping barks of these leaping woodwinds, there’s actually quite a lot of poignant emotion, doing much to convey the uncertainty of future life and real need for human warmth and intimacy. The press may speak of “a brutal finesse”, and while it’s true these two men do like to whoop, growl, and assume the aspect of a wild caveman, there is a lot of tenderness and compassion to be found beneath the shaggy pelts. (01/06/2023)
Alexander Beierbach, sax player known to us from his appearances with Tru Cargo Service (led by Torsten Papenheim the composer and guitarist), here today with his Twirls project bringing us two discs of his approach to jazz and group improvisation on Tides & Shadows (TIGER MOON RECORDS TMR 013). He does it as a duo with pianist Nicolas Schulze, and as a quartet with Schulze, Meinrad Kneer, and Yorgos Dimitriadis. Beierbach has a very polished technique and each line is as smooth as butter, or buttered toffee. We could also say the group compositions are very accessible, bordering on melodic, as if the players had taken the idea of 1950s small-group jazz from America and attempted to emulate the surface sounds, while discarding the underpinning chord changes and structure. I got bored with this set very quickly; poised, mannered, bloodless, and self-indulgent. (25/05/2023)