Short but sweet no 5 (Berke) [0:25] 2
Two in one (Berke) [8:11] 1
Worm (Berke) [2:34] 1
’Round the corner (Berke) [9:07] 1,
*
Loose ends (Berke) [7:33] 1
Short but sweet no.6 [0:43] 2
The Cactus Suite: 1
Part 1: Varieties (Berke) [8:38] *
Part 2: Heat (Berke) [4:20] *
Part 3: Desert Night (Cleveland / Berke)
[5:44] *, **
Part 4: In Bloom (Berke) [6:21] *
Örjan Hultén (tenor and soprano
saxes)
Fredrik Nordström (tenor and alto saxes)
Johan Berke (electric guitar, 12 string acoustic
guitar)
Filip Augustson (bass)
Fredrik Rundqvist (drums)
With guests:
Jan Eriksson (lap steel guitar, pedal steel
guitar) *
Barry Cleveland (soundscape: tape) **
rec. 1 11, June 2005, Glömsta
Studio; 2 29 August 2006, studioupstairs
This is a constantly intriguing
album, occupying a distinctive musical territory.
There are some lyrical passages reminiscent
of what has often been lazily described as
the ECM sound (there never was one such sound);
there are some acerbic dissonances; some free
jazz blowing; some passages that sound like
rather complex arrangements; there’s solo
guitar; there are electronic sounds on tape;
there are moments of precise, quasi-boppish
unison playing, there are moments of fierce
heterophony. It is, indeed, very eclectic,
but it all hangs together and is played throughout
with an impressive sense of group interaction.
Berke doesn’t hog the limelight,
though his phrasing and note selection are
always interesting, not least on ‘’Round the
Corner’ and on the four parts of his ‘Cactus
Suite’. Jazz motifs and echoes of Frank Zappa
seem to fall under his fingers with equal
readiness and the sense is of an inventive
musical mind, restless but with a distinct
sense of direction. The music has lots of
energy, though it is never expressed in merely
crude fashion.
The drum work of Fredrik
Rundqvist, subtle, attentive, dealing in complex
cross-rhythms but always complementing, and
never overwhelming, soloists, is a constant
joy on the CD. The bass work of Filip Augustson
is rarely foregrounded, but he too makes a
substantial contribution to the seeming ease
with which the group exchanges musical ideas;
his is an important voice in the musical conversation.
Both saxophonists play with fluency and, where
appropriate, attack. I would have appreciated
some information as to who plays tenor on
which tracks. Jan Eriksson’s lap steel guitar
and pedal steel guitar add some rich textures
to the tracks on which he plays.
The Cactus Suite was commissioned
by the Bergius foundation for the tenth anniversary
of the Edvard Anderson Greenhouse in Stockholm.
I trust it was played in the greenhouse? Readers
might also care to know that ‘’Round the Corner’
is "dedicated to the Bears at the Stockholm
Zoo, Skansen".
The whole CD impresses by
the musicianship of all involved, the inventiveness
of much of the writing and playing and, above
all, by the cohesiveness of the group. One’s
pleasure is increased by the clarity of the
recorded sound.
Glyn Pursglove
CD Reviews
Gason
Jazz CD 731 [54:00]
