Home » Jazz Articles » Album Review » Bugge Wesseltoft: New Conception Of Jazz Sharing

346

Bugge Wesseltoft: New Conception Of Jazz Sharing

By

Sign in to view read count
Bugge Wesseltoft: New Conception Of Jazz Sharing
Which brings us to Norwegian Grammy-winning pianist and composer Wesseltoft's latest for his own Jazzland label. Halfway between the lounge lizard irony of Dimitri from Paris and the lyrical quartet settings of Dave Brubeck or the acoustic Herbie Hancock, Sharing is one of those mould-breaking sets that tend to outlast the vagaries of musical fashion.

Wesseltoft is as much producer and soundscape artist as composer and star of this double CD, and he's shipped in intensely catchy elements from hip-hop, rap, house and acid jazz by the bucketload, sampled his way past artistic oblivion and made it back intact and funky. If you like your music pure, this may not be for you, but if you're convinced by the mongrels are smarter and healthier than pure-breeds argument, this is some argument to lean back on. Sometimes the feel is Jimmy Smith with a bourbon on the B4 next to his hand, sometimes the iceberg cool of Jan Garbarek, or conveying subtle echoes of the biting romanticism of Massive Attack or the intense, percussive texture of Drum 'n' Bass. And sometimes it's like a soothing, seductive Robert Miles (only with balls and a few more ideas).

If you know the adventure ECM's Nils Petter Molvaer has embarked on by interleaving house rhythms and mixing attitudes with his skeletal jazz, Wesseltoft's approach to his own music will strike home as well. It would take an exhaustive run-down of the nine tracks that comprise disc one to convey the shifting horizon of mood, style and setting on Sharing, but I'm convinced.

Personnel

Album information

Title: New Conception Of Jazz Sharing | Year Released: 1999 | Record Label: Jazzland Recordings

Comments

Tags

Concerts


For the Love of Jazz
Get the Jazz Near You newsletter All About Jazz has been a pillar of jazz since 1995, championing it as an art form and, more importantly, supporting the musicians who create it. Our enduring commitment has made "AAJ" one of the most culturally important websites of its kind, read by hundreds of thousands of fans, musicians and industry figures every month.

You Can Help
To expand our coverage even further and develop new means to foster jazz discovery and connectivity we need your help. You can become a sustaining member for a modest $20 and in return, we'll immediately hide those pesky ads plus provide access to future articles for a full year. This winning combination will vastly improve your AAJ experience and allow us to vigorously build on the pioneering work we first started in 1995. So enjoy an ad-free AAJ experience and help us remain a positive beacon for jazz by making a donation today.

More

Sensual
Rachel Z
Over and Over
Tony Monaco Trio
Love Is Passing Thru
Roberto Magris

Popular

Get more of a good thing!

Our weekly newsletter highlights our top stories, our special offers, and upcoming jazz events near you.