Arve Henriksen - Chiaroscuro

Label: Rune Grammofon

Released: 2004

Style: Future Jazz, Experimental, Ambient

"To get straight to the point, "Chiarsocuro" is probably the most startling and moving album I've heard this year. Arve Henriksen is a founding member of freestyle jazz experimentalists Supersilent, his inimitable trumpet playing and indescribable wordless vocalising has gained him a feverishly dedicated following, sparked off by the release of his debut album "Sakuteiki" back in 2001 and by several live performances that have left his captive audience gasping for breath. "Chiaroscuro" (taken from the Italian for "light and shade") is quite an unbeleiveable listen - cinematic in a way that words cannot describe, a vast panoramic ocean of sound reduced to the most silent, heart-wrenching string arrangements, delicate live sampling (courtesy of Jan Bang) and a whispered sweep of barely audible percussion (from Audun Kleive), hovering around Henriksen unique, mesmerising trumpet playing and broken voice. This is by far and away the most inspiring album I've heard this year, a completely wondrous listen that seems to defy categorisation or description. Sometimes you happen across a record by chance and it ends up changing your musical vocabularly forever - "Chiaroscuro" is one of those rare records. We implore all music lovers to check it out without delay. Incredible." - Boomkat

Tracklisting:

1 Opening Image (4:16)

2 Bird's-Eye-Vie (4:07)

3 Chiaro (3:28)

4 Holography (3:02)

5 Blue Silk (6:30)

6 Parallel Actio (4:38)

7 Circled Take (3:25)

8 Scuro (5:08)

9 Time Lapse (5:07)

10 Ending Image (2:27)

Link

Victor Bermon - Arriving At Night

Label: Hefty Records
Released: 2007
Style: Instrumental, Future Jazz, Downtempo

"Wonderfully dreamy and hypnotic progressive instrumental music. There are a lot of folks creating this sort of music lately, but very few who are as clearly focused and talented as Victor Bermon. Although some of his tracks have popped up in various places during the past couple of years, Arriving at Night is Bermon's debut album. These thirteen compositions are a pure delight...incorporating many of the best ideas behind ambient, trance, and modern progressive pop. The overall tone of the album is calm and hypnotic...and many of the tunes have a very inviting warm organic sound. Not a lot more needs to be said here...but we should mention that this is one of those CDs that gets better the more you spin it. Smoothly seductive cuts include "Farewell Lunch for Laura," "Unprepared," "On the Way Back," and "On This Night." Great stuff." - Babysue

Tracklisting:

1 Farewell Lunch For Laura (3:48)
2 We Face Each Other (3:57)
3 Photographs Are Not Memories (3:52)
4 Unprepared (6:14)
5 View Of The Islands (3:24)
6 First Encounters (3:16)
7 Portrait (2:05)
8 Famous Discussion (3:29)
9 Theatre Of Signs (4:08)
10 On The Way Back (2:49)
11 Stacked Notebooks (3:12)
12 Prospect Park (4:03)
13 On This Night (3:38)

Link

I'm Not A Gun - Everything At Once

Label: City Centre Offices
Released: 2003
Style: Dowtempo, Future Jazz

"John Tejada requires very little introduction. With releases under his belt for Playhouse, Plug Research, Seventh City, Defocus, Palette and numerous other labels, Mr Tejada has gained notoriety and respect in fields as diverse as Detroit Techno, IDM, House and acoustic experimentation. For his latest project 'I'm not a gun', John has teamed up with his good friend Takeshi Nishimoto - a gifted multi instrumentalist who has created a brand new post-rock slant for the always diverse John Tejada. 'I'm not a gun' features Tejada on drums, guitar and electronics, while Nishimoto adds the licks on blissful guitar and bass reverberations. With airy gestures and a sunny state of mind, they jam themselves into textures which have learned their lesson from the best records of the Chicago acoustic school: jazzrock does not have to be a pretentious monster, but can sing a poem of colloquial communication. As soon as structure wins over the solo, dialogue over technical skills and the lightness of swing over the pathos of improvisation, a new dreamlike soundscape is opened. In a cheerful dizzyness these instrumentals seem to plan themselves, accepting no control from the outside world. Tejada and Nishimoto are just following that stream. ‘Everything at Once“ is music of the inner ear, floating sessions full of lush instrumentation and a reflective yet uplifting formation of texture and melody. You get the feeling listening to this gorgeous album that, while recording each and every track on board, work had nothing to do with effort, the artists creating a new kind of folk music which glides into your soul coated with a sense of bliss. This is the first release this year for CCO, plenty more to follow, but what a starting point! Highly recommended." - Boomkat

Tracklisting:
1 Jet Stream (4:50)
2 Frequent Syndrome (4:48)
3 These Thoughts Break (5:00)
4 Long Division (4:46)
5 Monovision (4:24)
6 Make Sense And Loose (4:33)
7 Search For Sleep (4:59)
8 Drunken Anecdotes (5:12)
9 Dazed In The Moment (4:34)
10 Vacant Sky (3:33)
11 Flash Bang Imagery (4:48)

Link