Jormin, Anders / Lena Willemark / Karin Nakagawa: Trees Of Light

On this latest ECM release we have Swedish musicians Anders Jormin (double bass) and Lena Willemark (voice, fiddle, viola) teaming up with Japanese artist Karin Nakagawa (25-string koto).

Since the release of In Winds in 2003, Jormin and Willemark have collaborated on a regular basis. Now with the addition of Nakagawa the music has taken on an oriental folk element as the plucked and strum sounds of the koto is ever present here. Overall, this is a very mellow album and the tempo quite slow. If you are looking for upbeat jazz you need to look elsewhere. In an album like this the space between the notes is just as important as the notes themselves. All three artists had a hand in writing these twelve tracks.

In "Hirajoshi" swirling koto motifs and a deeper low end from the viola makes for a stark and minimalistic soundscape and in the opening track ""Krippainggler", Oriental themed koto and a fine bass solo from Jormin are highlights. Jormin also provides an excellent intro on "Ogadh Dett" before delicate koto and Willemark's melodic vocals take the song home. In "Lyöstraini", bass and koto play off one another in a delicate dance and Willemark's clear voice (sung in her native Älvdals dialect) adds a European folk element. The viola and fiddle adds another layer of instrumentation making this one of the denser sounding tracks.

In "Lyösfridhn" Nakagawa's creative playing creates different moods and textures but the overall feeling is one of unadorned beauty.

The album ending "Vilda Vindar" offers another fine bass solo from Jormin.

Trees Of Light won't be for everyone but for those who like their folk and jazz done in a minimalist style with a somewhat melancholic tone then by all means click on the link below to find more information.

Track Listing:
1. Krippainggler (8:43)
2. Dröm (3:55)
3. Jag Starkvar (3:19)
4. Urbanus (4:02)
5. Hirajoshi (5:58)
6. Minni (2:03)
7. Ogadh Dett (5:39)
8. Lyöstraini (5:14)
9. Slingerpolska (2:28)
10. Uoruo (5:59)
11. Lyösfridhn (4:48)
12. Vilda Vindar (4:26)

Added: July 27th 2015
Reviewer: Jon Neudorf
Score:
Related Link: Artist's Official Site
Hits: 1604
Language: english

[ Printer Friendly Page ]
[ Send to a Friend ]