LALLE LARSSON

Best known for his musical association with Flower Kings-related projects such as Karmakanic and the Agents of Mercy, keyboard player Lalle Larsson has also delivered a string of wonderful solo instrumental works, especially worthwhile is his trio of recordings from between 2009-2012 under the `Weaveworld' project name. However, 2014 sees the artist diverting from the lounge-jazz/fusion found on those works for something more stripped back in the form of `Until Never', an album based around solo piano pieces, but with several of them complimented by regular Larsson cohort and Flower King Jonas Reingold on fretless bass and Dutch jazz fusion guitarist (and fellow Weaveworld musician) Richard Hallebeek on acoustic guitar.

The stark black and white cover photo may suggest plenty of gloom, but it's more a reflection of atmosphere, oddly beautiful and every so slightly unsettling. Lalle's piano is always the lead instrument, the composer offering delicate, moving and darkly romantic themes, with little traces of melancholy and introspection. But several of the highlights are when he's accompanied by the above mentioned other two musicians, and although they're used sparingly on just a few pieces, Jonas' bass ruminations are instantly recognizable, with Richard's guitar always restrained and tasteful.

There's plenty of light and shade during album opener `Leaving Paris', the three musicians gliding back and forth between stirring positive themes and uneasy moodiness, and especially listen out for the oddly bleak final guitar strum in the dying seconds. The eight minute `September Suite' shows all three players working in perfect unison, complimenting and respecting each-other as they skilfully weave through reflective moods, suddenly melancholic subtle diversions and excited classical prettiness full of life and love. `Before Sunrise' subtly introduces shimmering electric piano, with Lalle allowing his musical companions to take the lead. Jonas' joyful bass soloing is full of promise here, Richard's acoustic guitar brings hope.

There's a positive and content stride to `The Solitary Traveller', `Last Call' is near ambient, and one or two moments of `A Gentle Touch' even implement some subtle droning electronic washes behind thoughtful piano that's equally uplifting as it is sweetly sad. `Above The Clouds' is wistful and reassuring as it leaps to life with confidence, `Valentine' is unsurprisingly joyfully swooning and twinkling with a sweet naivety, and the title track closer suggests a fragile loneliness lifted with caring support and reassurance.

This album won't be to everyone's tastes, but if you can listen quietly and have the patience to concentrate on very minimal yet exquisite compositions of carefully composed and luscious music, this will be a hugely rewarding discovery. Especially haunting during the early A.M hours, `Until Never' is one of the most distinctive and personal instrumental albums of 2014, and a quietly stunning achievement for Mr Larsson. Four stars.

The recent five star review of "Infinity of Worlds" inspired me to give it another spin. I remember that it did not sound particularly inspiring when I bought it back in 2010 and has been gathering dust on the shelf ever since. But I was willing to give it another chance. I usually order 6 CDs at a time so sometimes a disk may not get the appreciation it deserves.

Definition of Masterpiece: a creation that has been given much critical praise, especially one that is considered the greatest work of a person's career or to a work of outstanding creativity, skill, or workmanship.

The musicanship is good but some of the compositions meander rather aimlessly with a mixture of styles sometimes wandering into the realms of jazz. Track 3 in particular shows this tendancy and sounds like elevator music in places.

Track 4 "Stony Days" is about the best, its heavier than the others but still nothing exceptional.

The final track, the title track, is also quite good but the best piece of music on the entire disk is at the end when it morphs into industrial noise. At least this sounds interesting, just a shame there wasn't more of this throughout the album.

Overall despite some fine musicanship this is really rather uninspiring, offers northing new that hasn't already been done to death by the likes of Derek Sherinian. It's no masterpiece, nor is it an essential part of a prog collection. Its only saved from a two star rating by Track 4.

Who can imagine my surprise, when I noticed at the bottom of the rating line of one of my other top favourite artists, the same morose line up of two star raters as I noticed below District 97. Again a line of silly names like marfish, purplefloydfish, daemacho and waeguk, all entered practically at the same time, all rated "Infinity Of Words" at two stars. What is this???

"Infinity Of Words" is one of the most beautiful albums, that entered my collection lately. A superb blend of keyboard based jazz and melodic progressive rock, embellished with a tad bit of metal influences is producing a wonderful set of beautiful fully instrumental compositions. Of course: Lalle Larsson is the glorious central figure on this second album of his Weaveworld trilogy. But what to think of the guitarists Richard Hallebeek and Stefan Rosquist. They blend perfectly with the well-chosen keyboard sounds of Lalle Larsson. With a superb rhythm section, consisting of bass player Jonas Reingold and drummer Walle Wahlgren, you can't go wrong.

Not a weak moment on this album, but if I had to pick a favourite title, it would probably be "A Demon's Kiss", with its beautiful languish piano theme. I played this album over and over and over again and I just keep on loving it!

Screw the depressing two star raters, mine will be a well-deserved 5 star !!!

progpig66.

Before I am going to write this review, I would like to ask permission from a certain mister Francis Murphy, recently better known under the name of FMX, who took the liberty of lecturing me about my review on Lalle Larsson's Infinity Of Worlds". He claims to recognize a masterpiece and denies others to recognize one. First of all: he claims that the least worse song on the album is called "Stony Days". There is no such tiltle on the album!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! If you are illegally downloading, you shouldn't be allowed to write reviews!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! Track number 4 is called "Beyond Shadows". I know this, because I BOUGHT the album in a shop, especially for cd's. Furthermore he claims, that he prefers the industrial noises of the final track!? Maybe he shouldn't be living in Ireland, but in Birmingham. He should love it there!! Furthermore, mister Murphy thinks IQ singer Peter Nicholls is a great singer? Peter Nicholls is probably a loverly little man (I have heard him both live and on cd), but let's be honest, he is singing completely out of tune. Now let's cut the small-talk and talk reviewing.

In my humble opinion Lalle Larsson is one of the most talented keyboard-players of this moment. He doesn't always produce progressive rock, but I don't consider that a crime, because there are more musical directions that deserve to be listenend to. On this first album of the Weaveworld trilogy Lalle has gathered around him a fantastic group of highly talented musicians, comprising the incredible talented Richard Hallebeek from the Netherlands for the more jazz-rock bases guitar parts, Stefan Rosqvist for the more heavy guitar parts, Jonas Reingold on bass and Walle Wahlgren on drums. This has resulted in an incredible well-played and versatile bandsound, leading to the masterpiece that is called "Weaveworld". It is not often, that such a talented jazz-pianist combines the skills of a complete piano-player to those of a gifted synthesizer-player, who knows how to program and pick the right sounds on an electronic keyboard.

The result is a perfectly balanced album, inclining heavily towards composed jazz-rock, both displaying fabulously well-composed themes to incredible virtuosity. Great jazz-virtuoso players like Duke Ellington and Jacques Loussier are easily equalled, while the dynamics of Weaveworld easily surpass most progressive rock albums. In other words: a masterpiece ! Compositions like "Marionette" and "Newborn Awakening" are masterpieces, both in composition and in technical playing. I would like to invite everyone, to take time and listen.

So, if it doesn't bother mister Murphy I am going to reward this album with five stars! (and I BOUGHT the album in the same shop as I bought all my cd's).

progpig66.

"Until never" is the Swedish keyboard player Lalle Larsson's sixth studio album and he has done it this year 2014 with the bassist Jonas Reingold and the guitarist Richard Hallebeek. The cover picture is dark and shows an iron bridge in a city at night.

Perhaps this is a good image also of the music on the album. This is not a rock record. The music is very soft and don't make so much noise. It is an instrumental musical world of light and digestible music. It start's very smooth and continues in that way during the whole record but the musicians are painting a nice painting which could work as rest for often tired ears. The melodies aren't progressive but sometimes you can here the similarity with symphonic rock. It feels like many of the tracks respond to each other and the record as a whole encourages tthe listener fantasize.

But how do I like it? Yes I like it. I welcome its difference according to other music and some of the melodies were really nice. But at the same time the music doesn't strive especially high and it doesn't make me shout wow so I am content with giving it three stars.

Swedish, 1974-born keyboardist, hailing from Malmo.Larsson grew up in a music family and learned to play the piano at an early age.At the age of 15 he had already played his first gig and in 1991 he moves to Vienna to complete his musical studies.Two years later he returns to Sweden and forms his first band Ominox.Several members have passed through the line-up, namely bassist Jerry Ericsson,guitarists Bo Eriksson, Krister Jonson and Jimmy Lou and drummer Bengt Johnson.Ominox reputedly released a cassette in 1994.Compositions from this work as well as material written between 1993-95 were released in 2004 in CD format as ''Ominox - contemporary past''.

Lalle Larsson's vision for innovative and original music is clear throughout this work.Remember, we are talking about early-90's here, Prog Rock had yet to return in a regular basis and even Prog Metal was taking its baby steps.But Larsson's choice with Ominox was to mix Jazz/Fusion with keyboard-led Progressive Rock and the result is often fascinating.Led by his impressive technical background and studies in composition, he displays mostly long and instrumental tracks with virtuosic solos, grandiose textures but also a strange sense of melody in the more laid-back moments.Some very complex moves on bass and drums with a jazzy background are to be found in the album, which still contains good guitar solos and runs, maybe in a very ALLAN HOLDSWORTH style, and is highlighted by massive intercations between Larsson's synthesizers and the electric guitars.The album holds kind of a LIQUID TENSION EXPERIMENT feeling as a whole.Nothing comes in excess, the balance between melodies, technical skills and atmospheric soundscapes is kept in a good level.Among the sharp work of Larrson on keyboards the listener will find also some nice piano breaks with a loose execution, strengthening the jazzy character of the work.

This one belongs among Lalle's more overlooked works.Very nice music, especially considrening the time it was composed.Essential album for all lovers of jazzy Prog with tons of keyboards...3.5 stars,

A lackluster album but not a lackluster effort, here we have a well-produced, well-played and well thought-out heap of utterly predictable music. Maybe I'm jaded, maybe I'm downright wrong, but the music here feels all too familiar and, at times, far too monotonous. Marionette and Dance of the Dead offer dull hooks woven into dull songs. Perhaps my issue with these songs is the amount of conviction. That being none. Despite this Newborn Awakening more than makes up for these lackluster efforts and offer renewed hope in an otherwise tedious album. This song alone seems to elevate my review at least one star, Adagio is mostly forgettable and Weaveworld is mildly interesting but, on the whole the entire album (sans. Newborn Awakening) feels extremely mediocre.

2.5 stars rounded up to three because Newborn Awakening is a 4 (possibly 5) star track that far surpasses the rest of the album.

His freshest album to date , released in 2012 Nighscapes, is no less great as previous one. The albus is again solid, both in musicianship and in musical ideas, mainly because is the same line-up and the tightness between musician is brilliant. The music offred is again high level progressive/jazz fusion, I really love this one aswell, pieces like Insomnia, Zero hour showing that Lalle Larsson mean bussines in this field. His keyboards has an important role and he offers a varied landscapes of sounds and atmosphere. Another very solid album under his name, definetly recommended and 4 stars easy. Without hesitation he is one of the most intresting and smart keyboard player of the our recent times. Excellent again on art work, this time the blurry green is the color on overall art.

Lalle Larsson is one of the most acomplished keyboard player of the last decade, that's for sure. Being member along the years in bands such as Agents of Mercy, Karmakanic, 3rd World Electric, he was able to bring in each band he played something of a real intrest to prog listner. Lalle Larsson waveworld he released 3 albums, Infinity of worlds being his second offer and I think his best solo album. I knew already that he is very skillful and extremely versatile artist and inventive keyboard player, in fact one of my fav on the last years, with this album he reaches a level hard to bit by many musicians. Besides great almost perfect musicianship, he concentrated aswell on melodic lines not only tecnique, the result is impressive. Helped by some excellent musicians in jazz fusion world, some of them work with him before like bassist Jonas Reingold or top notch guitar player Richard Hallebeek. A special mention for drumer Mikael Wahlegren, he has some truly amazing chops here, what a drumer, brilliant and technically impressive. All pieces are from great to excellent, like the opening track A demon's kiss, Otherwordly or Beyond shadows (dedicated as booklet said to legendary Dio), this tune absolutly kick ass with a darker passages and out of this world musicianship. Each musician shine on this record and is one of the best I've heared from progressive/jazz fusion genre. Lalle Larsson proves with Infinity of worlds that is a musician to be discovered by a wider auditorium, he is a renowed player and one of the best of his field. recommended for sure, love the art work , that blue blurry type of the art work is also excellent, a theme that was present on previous album and aswell on their third one. 4 stars easy, damn fine album.

With "Nightscapes" Lalle Larsson concludes his Weaveworld trilogy, a series of 3 superbly played instrumental albums, all drafted in the same way. Instrumental progressive rock, solidly rooted in premeditated jazz-rock. All albums have the same line up: Lalle Larsson on keyboards, the incredible Richard Hallebeek on both electric & acoustic guitars, Jonas Reingold, one of the most remarkable bass players in the progressive scene on both fretted & fretless bass, the multi talented Walle Wahlgren on drums and a solid rock bottom of guitar riffs is supplied by Stefan Rosqvist.

After Weaveworld and Infinity Of Worlds, Nightscapes is the album which is strongest embedded in jazz rock harmonies and therefore has the sternest sound. The romanticism that adorned Infinity Of Worlds has faded and made room for a more technical approach, making it necessary to listen the album more often in order to discover all its beauties.

Don't think all romanticism has gone, just listen and enjoy "Rainbow's Gold", showing all melodic and harmonious talent of Lalle in all its splendour, one of my personal favourites.

In "Zero Hour" we understand why Stefan Rosqvist is present on the album. He supplies the song with a solid tuned down heavy guitar riff, thus representing the necessary rock ingredient on the album.

Nocturne gives us a moment of relaxation presented by Richard Hallebeek on his acoustic guitar and Lalle principally on his grand piano, an oasis of introspection, before the magnum opus of the album, title composition "Nightscapes Suite" starts off in a mysterious mood and resuming once more in one single piece the genious of Lalle Larsson and his compositional skills and playing qualities. Again I am amazed by the guitar playing of Richard Hallebeek, to me one of the revelations of this Weaveworld project. This suite, taking more than 24 minutes, is technically the most complex of all Weaveworld compositions and its worth to discover ali its hidden beauties, all the brilliantly conceived harmonic progressions and the exquisite melodies, the dark and brooding guitar riffs provided by Stefan Rosqvist widely contributing to the often sombre and melancholic mood of the piece.

The project seems to end in a quiet and introspected mood with the fretless bass of Jonas Reingold and a very melancholic piano and some smooth string sounds supplied by the synthesizers of Lalle Larsson. When the last sound seems to have died down, a silence of several minutes follows, before just for a short moment the atmosphere of the opening track Insomnia and the restlessness that characterises so many of the Larsson compositions is revived, the conclusion of a fantastic album and the end of a brilliant trilogy. One may wonder what mister Larsson will be coming up with next.

Advisable to everyone who is prepared to listen concentrated to a new album more often !! Thank you mister Larsson for this great set of three albums !!!

Erik de Beer