Datadyr is a Norwegian Jazz trio from Bergen, belonging to the newborn label Is It Jazz? Records. The debut album “Woolgathering” was released on June 10, 2022 and contains 7 medium length tracks between Blues, Jazz and improvisation. The music was developed from compositions that date back to the Grieg Academy period, developed during rehearsals and proposed on this debut album. The album opens with “Tier” which is the shortest track in duration, characterized by an intricate and energetic rhythmic session with the leading guitar with textures between Jazz and Blues. The bass lines give body to the song which is rich in tempo changes and the guitar offers a prolonged solo that accompanies us throughout the duration. the band immediately immerses us in the sound of the disc, between improvisation and sophisticated and technical passages. The following “Krystalldans” has a more Jazz imprint, with an intricate and solid drumming, deep and bearing bass lines and the guitar taking center stage. The long guitar solo is a concentrate of technique, improvisation and virtuosity that bind perfectly with the full-bodied and dense rhythmic session, leaving a solo space at the base in the final. The title track “Woolgathering” highlights the more Experimental side of the band, with dilated sounds and a percussive but minimal drumming. The bass lines are deep and load-bearing, while the guitar develops inserts and textures enriched by the effects. Excellent phrasing between the guitar and the double bass, the true protagonist of the piece, refined and complex but enjoyable from start to finish. “Daybreaking” sees the participation of the sax that is intertwined with the complex textures of guitar and bass, while the drumming is energetic and elaborate. The track is a continuous alternation of tempo changes and engaging melodies, alternating softer and accelerated openings. In the first part the drum and double bass duet in a solo that increases in intensity with the passing of the minutes, leaving room for the guitar and sax later. A track where all the instruments have the free space to express themselves, enhancing the technique of the artists involved. With a traditional Jazz matrix and a retro touch, “FastUp” alternates accelerated passages with others that are softer and more dilated, with the guitar and double bass duet. The drumming is technical and is enriched with tempo changes that allow you to vary the intensity of the sound and offer a solo in the second part of the song. An engaging intertwining of double bass and drums opens “Datadyr” song which takes its name from the name of the band, where we see again the sax intertwined with the guitar. It is the longest track of the disc, exceeding 6 minutes and continues on purely Jazz sounds, between continuous tempo changes, technical and virtuous solos that enhance all the instruments and the always very high intensity. Between Free Jazz and improvisation it is an energetic and engaging track, it will be interesting to listen to it live. The album ends with “Low Hanging Moon” a sophisticated and slow-paced track, with deep bass lines and the guitar offering a passionate solo. The atmosphere is melancholic and the sound is centered on the prolonged guitar solo, with a solid and delicate rhythmic session. These young artists have a refined technique, proposing an album with a purely Jazz sound, with prolonged solos involving all the instruments. The rhythm session is built on an intricate drumming and deep, load-bearing bass lines, alternating softer passages with tempo changes and energetic and engaging parts. The guitar takes center stage and in two tracks he duets with the sax offering tight and technical solos. A listening recommended for lovers of Jazz sounds, close to the extreme sounds of the Canterbury Scene, an excellent album that enhances the technique of the Norwegian trio.
Tracklist
01. Tier (03:15)
02. Krystalldans (04:49)
03. Woolgathering (03:49)
04. Daybreaking (05:53)
05. FastUp (04:25)
06. Datadyr (06:35)
07. Low Hanging Moon (03:58)
Lineup
Øystein Høynes / Bass
Amund Nordstrøm / Drums
Odd Erlend Mikkelsen / Guitars
Guests:
Ketil Møster / Saxophone
Mathis Marstrander / Guitar
[…] [REVIEW] […]