Tonight’s genuinely is a ‘song for the end of the day’, the multiple artist review posting category in which I was going to put this until I realised it was too good for that ; indeed it should be taken with your Horlicks or whatever your nighttime alcoholic beverage is as you reminisce on the good old days.
‘AETHER II’ is the latest album from Danish bassist Morten Haxholm. He’s no stranger to them, having recorded seven albums alone with top level collaborators in the US during a decade spent in New York.
Minimalist jazz is his forte, or at least it was on the original ‘AETHER’ album and on this one he introduces electronic and field recordings to add variety to the mix.
I selected ‘Magnolia’ as the sample track because it was “inspired by childhood days in his grandparents’ garden.”
Can any jazz piece do justice to such a playful image, jazz typically having, in my estimation at least, a more brutal ring to it?
Broadly speaking I do believe it works although it is more representative of picking flowers or catching butterflies in a jam jar than engaging in any sports or flying Frisbees at each other or play fighting or whatever else it is kids do. Perhaps later, when the tempo picks up and a playful flute comes in over the piano it might suggest flying a kite that’s struggling to get in the air on a faint breath of wind.
So yes, it passes the NMC test for such evocatively created instrumental music. It evocates and it easily creates imagery with which we can readily associate through long-term memory.
A quick listen to the other tracks tells me Morten is a dab hand at it.
And I was particularly impressed with his minimalistic drummer, who plays few notes overall but who plays them in all the right places, if you get my drift.
Oh, and the cover art was made in collaboration with his kids — a reflection of the familial threads running through the whole project. Nice touch.
Find him on:
Website: https://mortenhaxholm.com/
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/mortenchristian
Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/mortenhaxholm/
