Of these two Norwegian musicians saxophonist Marius Neset is probably best known to British audiences. His 2011 début for Edition “Golden Xplosion” was a tremendous critical success and Neset’s dynamic live shows quickly cemented his reputation as a rising star of European jazz, one of the most exciting saxophonists to have emerged for many years. The album revealed Neset to have chops and imagination to spare and there is certain to be a follow up but in the meantime this duo album with tuba player Daniel Herskedal is very different, a quieter but no less ambitious record that draws on Nordic folk and classical traditions. The two musicians are joined on some pieces by the male voices of the Svanholm Singers with soloist Hallvar Djupvik singing beautifully on the traditional folk tune “Eg er Framand”.
It could be argued that “Neck of the Woods” is essentially Herskedal’s album. The tubist contributes the bulk of the original tunes (besides “Eg er Framand the duo also tackle Abdullah Ibrahim’s “The Wedding”, which closes the album) and I suspect that the overall concept was originally his vision. The pair met while both were studying at the Rhythmic Conservatoire in Copenhagen under the tutelage of British born composer, keyboardist and educator Django Bates and both were members of Bates’ StoRMChaser Big Band. Bates subsequently appeared on “Golden Xplosion” along with the Phronesis rhythm section of Jasper Hoiby (bass) and Anton Eger (drums) but his place was filled for live performances by either Nick Ramm or Ivo Neame. This album came about following a special project duo performance in a church during a Norwegian jazz festival, the results were so successful that the recording of an album became an inevitability.
Herskedal can perhaps be regarded as Norway’s answer to the UK’s own Oren Marshall, a phenomenally gifted musician with the ability to make the tuba sound totally convincing as a front line instrument. Like Marshall he has both vision and technical ability and he is highly regarded in his homeland. Herskedal produces an astonishing array of sounds throughout the album although the impression is that he makes less use of electronics than Marshall, at least in this context.
The album opens with Herskedal’s title track, one of the pieces that features the twenty strong male vocal ensemble the Svanholm Singers. Herskedal has made no secret of his admiration for his compatriot Jan Garbarek’s collaborations with the Hilliard Ensemble and that this was a significant influence on his decision to write for voices as part of this project. Here the Singers add grandeur to the soaring saxophones of Neset, the whole thing given depth by the underpinning tuba of the composer. There’s a church like feel to the piece that reflects the project’s genesis in a church performance. Yes, the comparisons with Garbarek are obvious and fans of ECM’s “Officium” series are likely to find much to enjoy here but with Herskedal’s own remarkable tuba contribution firmly placing his own stamp on the music.
Herskedal’s “Preludium” has a gorgeous folk like melody but also has the feel of church music. In the duo’s hands the emphasis is on beauty, space and clarity- the adoration of the melody. Neset’s soprano tone is stunningly pure with Herskedal’s tuba voicings adding richness and depth. Yes, the comparisons with Garbarek are again inevitable, there’s the same emphasis on purity and the distillation of the essence of a sound but there’s no denying the sheer unadorned beauty of “Preludium”.
Also by Herskedal “Lutra Lutra” represents a welcome change of pace with Herskedal’s rapid, Marshall like tuba vamp powering the tune. Neset, on tenor, blows more conventionally jazzy saxophone, sometimes slurring the notes. Herskedal has spoken of an admiration for Arabic and Balkan music and there are elements of this here in a delightfully unadorned duo performance, a genuine musical conversation.
One of the stand out pieces on the album is the duo’s arrangement of the traditional song “Eg er Framand” featuring the beautiful tenor voice of the versatile Hallvar Djupvik, a singer who has performed with the Norwegian National Opera. In this pared down setting Djupvik sounds wonderful, there are no opera style histrionics, and although the lyrics will be incomprehensible to English speaking listeners the piece is still totally immersive and moving. Herskedal’s deeply breathy tuba and subtle electronic enhancements provide the backdrop for Neset’s incisive saxophone and Djupvik’s pure, immaculately controlled but emotive vocals.
Herskedal’s “The Shepherd” is another intimate duo conversation between Herskedal and Neset, so fleeting you also miss it before the piece segues into Neset’s joyous “Ara’s Dance” led by his airy sax pirouetting above Herskedal’s astonishingly agile and nimble tuba.
Herskedal’s “The Christmas Song” marks an appropriate return for the Svanholm Singers who provide a choral backdrop for Neset’s saxophone ruminations. It’s as beautiful as one might expect but behind the serenity there’s also a darker element as evidenced by a brooding tuba led coda.
Earthy, breathy tuba also leads off Herskedal’s sinister “Dragon’s Eye”. The composer produces some astonishing breath generated sounds here, the piece is pretty much a showcase for him. Fans of the equally extraordinary Oren Marshall will have some idea what to expect.
Following this it is perhaps only appropriate that a passage of solo saxophone presages Neset’s “Swan Island”, the third piece featuring the voices of the Svanholm Singers. Neset’s playing and writing here is very different to the bravura exhibited on “Golden Xplosion”. There is less focus on virtuosity with the emphasis instead on nuance, texture and mood building. That said the piece does possess a certain grandeur courtesy of the massed, soaring voices of the choir, a subtle reminder of Neset’s ambition.
The album closes with a delightfully intimate duo reading of Abdullah Ibtahim’s “The Wedding” from the South African pianist’s classic “Water From An Ancient Well Album”. Herskedal and Neset extract the maximum beauty from Ibrahim’s lovely folk melody, there’s an almost zen like sense of calm about their rendition.
Although less obviously accessible than Neset’s “Golden Xplosion” “Neck of the Woods” should still appeal to a substantial audience, particularly fans of Jan Garbarek and listeners to Radio 3’s Late Junction. I’ve not heard the programme lately but can imagine this album becoming something of a favourite. “Neck of the Woods” helps to consolidate Marius Neset’s reputation and is a timely reminder of just how versatile a musician he is. Herskedal represents an exciting new discovery for British audiences. He’s going to be a name well worth keeping an eye on.
“Neck of the Woods” is an album that increases its appeal with repeated listening. Less impactful than “Golden Xplosion” it nonetheless reveals its own quieter, but no less impressive, rewards. - Ian Mann
Saxophonist Marius Neset and tubist Daniel Herskedal have crafted an unusual and fascinating debut album, combining their chosen instruments and occasionally, the human voice, to create some atmospheric and intriguing sound-worlds on Neck Of The Woods.
Although both musicians are Norwegian, the pair met while studying at the Rhythmic Music Conservatory in Copenhagen, an institution that has played a major role in the development of contemporary jazz in Europe. Both men joined Django Bates' StoRMChaser and recorded with Bates, an ex-Rhythmic Conservatory professor, on Spring Is Here (Shall We Dance) (Lost Marble, 2008). They have also released albums under their own names, including Neset's Golden Xplosion (Edition Records, 2011) and Herskedal's debut City Stories (NORCD, 2010).
Herskedal's original compositions predominate on Neck Of The Woods, the tubist gaining six credits to Neset's three. There's also a cover of Abdullah Ibrahim's "The Wedding," a gentle, spacious rendition that stays close to Ibrahim's version on Water From An Ancient Well (Tiptoe Records, 1986) which featured Ricky Ford on tenor sax.
While Herskedal and Neset are always enjoyable, when the duo combine with the human voice the music verges on the sublime. When the Svanholm Singers, a 20-member male choir, join the musicians they create an ethereal, other worldly atmosphere. On Herskedal's "Neck Of The Woods" the effect is calming and meditative. The combination of saxophone and choir on the melody of "The Christmas Song," another of the tuba player's tunes, invokes the spiritual quality of the festival effortlessly. Herskedal's tuba line—at times almost imperceptible—gives the song a homely, comforting feel.
The album's centerpiece is the traditional song "Eg Er Framand." Arranged by the duo, it features Hallvar Djupvik's pure, emotive tenor vocal. Herskedal and Neset build a mysterious, melancholic atmosphere before Djupvik enters to tell the tale of the stranger who seeks peace. It's a beautiful song, given added pathos by Neset and Heskedal's arrangement and Djupvik's voice.
Herskedal and Neset repeatedly demonstrate the wealth of sounds and moods that can emerge from the interactions between tuba and saxophone. Neck Of The Woods is an uncompromising album, but it's never an inaccessible one. - Bruce Lindsay
The young Norwegian saxophonist Marius Neset has teamed up with fellow countryman and tubist Daniel Herskedal to bring their collaboration to the Edition label, augmented here by the Swedish Svanholm Singers.
The two players met at The Rhythmic Music Conservatory in Copenhagen, where Britain’s own Django Bates currently teaches. This session was recorded in Denmark and Sweden, with Herskedal as the chief composing voice, Neset only penning three tunes.
The title track possesses a pronounced Philip Glass influence, as Herskedal’s tuba bassline powers a foundational flow before the singers set up their insistent repeats. The other unavoidable precedent is saxophonist Jan Garbarek’s collaboration with The Hilliard Ensemble, and when Neset’s soprano figure starts dancing, the Glass comparisons are again magnified. The piece shunts into a low humming vocal refrain, cutting the hyperactivity; then they’re all off again, traipsing to the finale. And all this in just over five minutes.
There’s an overlying early music feel, but that’s just the stylistic starting point. Already, we’re finding Neset in a radically different place, following the initial showering of his Golden Xplosion debut for Edition.
Lutra Lutra has a tuba line straight out of the Balkans, with Neset swiftly joining in the caper. Eg Er Framand is a traditional tune arranged by the pair, featuring the pure solo voice of Hallvar Djupvik. Ara’s Dance evokes the ghost of New Orleans parade bands, but there’s also a funkin’ pastoralism, à la John Surman.
A restful clarity pervades The Christmas Song, with choral voices understated, this being Neset’s soprano saxophone showcase. Dragon’s Eye features a voyage inside the bowels of Herksedal’s tuba, an overdubbed build-up of animal snortings, droning and then some cleaner melodiousness.
There’s more Garbarek and Surman on Swan Island, plus a kind of decelerated Michael Nyman progression. Roles of ascendance are always changing on this album, and here the singers are merely providing colouration.
Ultimately, this project is probably too reminiscent of other artists to be truly great, but it’s a pristine production and has potential to reach an audience that’s less weathered by the storm and more inexperienced when it comes to such musical meetings. - Martin Longley
Tracks
01. Neck of the Woods (Daniel Herskedal)
02. Preludium (Daniel Herskedal)
03. Lutra Lutra (Daniel Herskedal)
04. Eg er Framand (Trad. Arr. Daniel Herskedal/Marius Neset)
05. The Shepherd (Daniel Herskedal)
06. Ara's Dance (Marius Neset)
07. The Christmas Song (Daniel Herskedal)
08. Dragon's Eye (Daniel Herskedal)
09. Introduction/ to Swan Island (Marius Neset)
10. Swan Island (Marius Neset)
11. The Wedding (Abdullah Ibrahim)
DANIEL HERSKEDAL tuba
MARIUS NESET saxophones
SVANHOLM SINGERS MALE CHOIR
All music composed by Daniel Herskedal and Marius Neset, except (11) by Abdullah Ibrahim
EDITION Records EDN1034