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Klas Nevrin Ensemble: Live At Lederman
ByNevrin Ensemble is comprised of drummer Ricard Österstam, who worked with Nervin in the group Fancy Machine during the nineties, violinist Katt Hernandez, who played with him in Yun Kan 10, acclaimed reed player Per "Texas" Johansson and double bassist Vilhelm Bromander. All perform the intricate, demanding cerebral compositions with impressive command and imagination. The ensemble realizes Nevrin's vision with impressive flexibility and precision. It creates a rich dynamic spectrum, a timbre or sound color that blends a large variety of acoustic and electronic sounds. They play at a very low volume without losing expression and color, shift organically between symmetric and asymmetric tempos and offer a provocative listening experience that does not commit itself to any school.
Nevrin wisely weaves together distant musical universes as on "Marvelous Lou," an imaginative homage to Harrison, where he applies a Harrison devised scale blending the Western, just intonation twelve notes with Far- Eastern, Indonesian quarter-tones. "Quasi-Flamenco" beautifully bridges a blues scale with the rhythmic style of Flamenco called soleá, enjoying nuanced layering of shifting tempos. The interpretation of Ligeti's "Musica ricercata no. 7" enables Österstam to improvise freely and playfully, contrasting the grave spirit written in Ligeti score. This playful approach is applied again on "Extoning," a term used by voice therapists, which means to hum or make a sound while breathing out. The ensemble revises this form of minimalist sonic articulation, with great focus of detail and color variation.
The album was recorded live in Stockholm on the Lucia evening, the Swedish festival on the 13th of December. On this date, in the midst of deep, wintry darkness, the slow return of light is celebrated. It is traditionally believed that on such nights unnatural beings are in motion and benevolent forces are beseeched. The highly original compositions and masterful performances suggest that supernatural forces were in motion and affected the magical music.
Track Listing
Marvelous Lou; Progressions in D; Quasi-Flamenco; Emersonian Cadenzas; Musica ricercata no. 7; Revamped; Extoning.
Personnel
Klas Nevrin
pianoKlas Nevrin: piano, zither. keyboards; Per "Texas" Johansson: clarinets, tenor saxophone; Katt Hernandez: violin; Vilhelm Bromander: double bass; Ricard Österstam: drums.
Album information
Title: Live At Lederman | Year Released: 2014 | Record Label: Found You Recordings