We often have a particular image of northern European jazz, particularly that from Norway and Sweden, as being just a little clinical. I can see why people would want to discover something new and put some distance between them and what is seen as the old guard of jazz, but the Hanna Paulsberg Concept manages to keep a foot in both camps, pushing the body of jazz into new realms while imbuing it with some of the warmth and joy that we would expect from the kind of jazz that came from African townships years ago.
The six tracks are spread over some fifty minutes, so give the songs plenty of chance to blossom from a gentle intro. Opener “Scent Of Soil” starts with a lullaby piano line and edgy double bass that moves in nervous circles. The trumpet enters breathy and sleepy, jiving gently around the piano, gradually awakening and drawing the rest of the group along with it, tempting them to express themselves, the sounds all injected with the warmth of a rising sun. As I said before, there is a warmth here that is often missing from Nordic jazz and this feels all the better for it. The piano is fractured and loose on “Little Big Saxophone” and commands attention. The highlife-influenced horns appear in unison here, but don’t deflect from the piano that plots the course like a horde of spiders as the rhythm section hit a groove and try to settle things a little. Once it is calmed though, drummer Hans Hulbækmo starts to wreak havoc with cowbells and the drums and trumpet chase one another into the distance.
They know how to hit a classic jazz groove when they want to. “Hemulen Tar Faerie” has very soothing horns that play gently with the listener’s ears as the hesitant piano sprinkles droplets of sweetness in the foreground. The sax and piano swap places or positions in the build-up, allowing the mood to subtly change depending on who is taking the lead. This willingness to allow the most suitable instrument to lead the charge is typical of the band, and provides all members with an opportunity to add some special magic to the mix. Hulbækmo is worthy of special mention as he can change his playing to suit whatever the others are doing so that it sits in the background without being overly forceful, though you can’t help but notice his subtle manipulation of the rhythms.https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1M9IUeVhiAU
As to the two horns, they are a joy to hear, at moments tearing at one another with vein-popping intensity as on “Bouncing With Flower Buds”, or at times reflecting a sweet and sultry moment of romantic surprise. However, it is when they set off questing in to the clear blue sky that the interplay becomes immersive. On ‘Daughters Of The Sun’, the forthright dazzle of the Miles Davis-like trumpet odyssey is tempered by the more subdued sax. It is an interesting dichotomy that works perfectly with the extraordinary cymbal work that feels as though it is moving to some other rhythm, but fits like a glove here. The whole thing is a real sweep of emotion and joy. The touchstones of African kwela and township jazz, as well as the more spiritual likes of Pharaoh Sanders, are mixed beautifully with their own at times avant-garde feelings, and if a band wants to write a song that is based on one of the Moomins characters, then clearly they also have joy and good feeling very close to their hearts.This is a fantastic collaboration which does wonders for both parties and sends the subtle spread of Nordic jazz into ever more scattered territories.
-Mr Olivetti-
