Arild Andersen - The Triangle

[Darryl G. Thomas]

Arild Andersen - double bass
Vassilis Tsabropoulos - piano
John Marshall - drums

Recorded January 2003 (ECM)

I have to confess, I have never heard of the musicians on this recording before I purchased it from Amazon. I can't even remember why I bought it! But I'm glad I did. It's been on constant play here at work.

First off, unlike many I love the ECM label, have from the git-go back in the '70s. So my eyes and ears perk up when i see and advertisement for one of their recordings. Anyway, this is a typical ECM production for those like me that dig the ECM "sound".

Composing is dominated by Vassilis Tsabropoulos, a guy I need to check out some more. He has a wonderful melodic gift that's touched often enough with a pinch of dissonance that keeps his playing from being too sweet. Except for the final cut, "Cinderella Song" (which is delightful to my ears) his writing tends to be pensive, almost melancholy. But i love melancholy, so he's right up my alley.

Andersen contributes 3 tunes. He's a little more upbeat. His "Saturday" tune coaxed a "Monk Dance" out of me back home. It's a perfect followup to Tsabropoulos' arrangement of a Ravel tune called Pavane.

Marshall seems to have the "ECM style" of drumming down to a tee. No major sparks, but a subtle burn.

There's nothing revolutionary going on here. No "New Dierctions" in jazz are being offered. I've just gotten hold of a disc I loved on first sight. I buy a lot of CDs, often on impulse. Most of the time I listen to them once, they go in the CD rack, and that's the end of them. Not this one.

[Brian Olewnick]

Is that ex-Soft machine drummer John Marshall?

Andersen did some spectacular work in the late 60s-early 70s with Don Cherry's bands and, most prominently, in Jan Garbarek's early groups (and in George Russell's bands from that period). I think you'd really enjoy these, Darryl. The first Garbarek album is called Esoteric Circle, orginally on Flying Dutchman, not sure of its current status. The first Garbarek ECMs, 'Afric Pepperbird', SART and Tryptikon are wonderful and Andersen's shown to great advantage.

I heard something of his from a couple of years ago that was too New Agey for my tastes and wrote about it somewhere--maybe here--received a disgruntled e-mail from Andersen his own self!

[groover]

Sounds intriguing, Darryl. The only set led by Andersen I have is "A Molde Concert", recorded in 1981, which I picked up while searching for any available recordings featuring phenomenal drummer Alphonse Mouzon in non-commercial mode.

With Bill Frisell on guitar in rockish form, this one reminds me of the old Mahavishnu Orchestra style of jazz fusion. Atypical of ECM, and surely not to everyone's taste here, but I give it 4 stars.

A Molde but a goody!

[Clay Fink]

Ollie: I think it's most likely the same John Marshall. He's been on some other ECMs over the years.

Andersen did a nice duet with Sheila Jordan on Steeplechase. I think that he's also on Roswell Rudd's "Flexible Flyer" with Jordan.

[clarke68]

Originally Posted by Brian Olewnick

I heard something of his from a couple of years ago that was too New Agey for my tastes and wrote about it somewhere--maybe here--received a disgruntled e-mail from Andersen his own self!

I have Anderson's 'Rarum' series disc (ECMish for 'Greatest Hits'). I love his tone and overall approach to the instrument, seems like he's played in a million different styles over the years, some of which I like and some I don't, for the reason you mention.

There's a track on here from the Molde concert (groover nailed it on the head with the "Mahavishnu" comparison, its a real rocker), a duet with Bill Frisell from 'In Line' with a somewhat dark Appalachian vibe, one from 1991 with Ralph Towner that reminds me of Al DiMeola's 'World Sinfonia' days, another from the same year with a singer that sounds kind of like Enya gone acoustic, and the rest is pretty much the spacious, semi-abstract ECM house sound, including one from 1999, based on a Norwegian folk song and performed with the same trio as the subject of this thread.

You can't blame a guy for experimenting, but it sounds like he's found his way back to the work of his that I enjoy the most on 'The Triangle'...could be a good one to pick up. Thanks for bringing it to our attention!

[Dennis Gonzalez]

Y'all need to hear his mid-period ECM's Shimri and Green Shading into Blue with Juhani Aaltonen on reeds and flutes, as well as the beautiful and rare Sagn. Sagn especially will absolutely slay you.[/B]

These are the 2 different versions:

[Sand]

Originally Posted by Dennis Gonzalez

Y'all need to hear his mid-period ECM's Shimri and Green Shading into Blue with Juhani Aaltonen on reeds and flutes, as well as the beautiful and rare Sagn. Sagn especially will absolutely slay you.[/B]

These are the 2 different versions:

Well, it sounds like Ollie was slayed by Arild (after listening to this very CD, I assume). :-)

[JaSt]

Arild Andersen’s quartet from 1975 with Jon Balke, p, Knut Riisnaes, ts and Paal Towsen on drums was kind of an energy chock at that time.
I wonder if this quartet ever recorded?

To hear Arild together with the singer Radka Toneff live was also an experience for life.

[jaka]

Originally Posted by groover

Sounds intriguing, Darryl. The only set led by Andersen I have is "A Molde Concert", recorded in 1981, which I picked up while searching for any available recordings featuring phenomenal drummer Alphonse Mouzon in non-commercial mode.

With Bill Frisell on guitar in rockish form, this one reminds me of the old Mahavishnu Orchestra style of jazz fusion. Atypical of ECM, and surely not to everyone's taste here, but I give it 4 stars.

A Molde but a goody!

4 stars. I totally agree. Check this out!

[Martin]

Originally Posted by JaSt

Arild Andersen’s quartet from 1975 with Jon Balke, p, Knut Riisnaes, ts and Paal Towsen on drums was kind of an energy chock at that time.
I wonder if this quartet ever recorded?

Jan, that quartet did Clouds In My Head for ECM in February 1975 (never re-released, as the later ECM quartet dates).

[Groovehigh]

I love "A Molde Concert" too. The band, especially Mouzon smokes on this one. It's a very interesting piece of Jazz-Fusion. May be Fusion because Mouzon always uses to Swing through "bashing", he doesn't swing but swings. Therefore he often puts the music to a point where you could call it Fusion.
Just listen to his incredible work with McCoy Tyner - same story. He doesn't really "swing" in an usual way.

[Lois Gilbert]