RYMDEN (Norway) – Today May Be Tomorrow (album)

Norwegian label Jazzland Recordings says what it does on the tin, and ‘Today May Be Tomorrow’ by Norway’s RYMDEN is a splendid demonstration of its strengths (the label being led by this trio’s own pianist Bugge Wesseltoft).

Considered a ‘supergroup,’ the trio’s fourth long-player is a great display of adept musicianship and the harmony the three can attain through their interplay and kinship.

The opener, the title track, flourishes, fragments, and formulates imagery of a futuristic journey. It starts with minimal percussion before it eases in smoothly, slickly, its charm growing by the second as the drums appear – adding a density to the sonic palette – and is then joined by the bass, the piano, and later keyboards.

By the time all three musicians are hitting their groove you know something grand is happening. It certainly is a musical transportation to another place, in fact several places, as it gives the sense of being a whistlestop tour of numerous locations we might never understand. It serves as a truly gripping start to any album.

‘Nightfall’ follows. Relaxing, meditative, late-night jazz, the intuitiveness between the musicians, the understanding and feel they possess, the ability to complement each other’s powers and cradle them in more tender moments is sublime.

The vibrant ‘Undercover Lover’ somehow reminds me of the upbeat, futuristic – and legendary – Herbie Hancock in his pomp. This song is a sharp slice of jazz that shows another groovier side to a band that settle into mostly slower, more contemplative numbers, romance and soul falling off the tracks – as if they were robes from the shoulders – at every turn.

An album whose charms undeniably are to come back to for more, because moving the earth does not have to be the loudest affair with the greatest fanfare. Quietly, gently, and with a phenomenal radar, RYMDEN are truly taking us places.

NMC rating: 8/10

Find them on:

Website: https://www.rymden-music.com/home