TRANSITION

An anomaly for the fact that Norwegian artists finding success on the global scale was not as common a phenomenon as it is in the 21st Century, Jazz-Rock Fusion combo Moose Loose add a violin to the ensemble for this, their sophomore studio album: an artist known as Trond Villa, who had been well established on the folk music scene in Sweden for several years. They've also seen a change in lineup with phenomenal drumming sensation P'l Thowsen having left, here being replaced by Espen Rud, and keyboardist H'kon Graf replacing former keyboard master Brynjulf Blix.

1. "Funky Way" (8:19) a steady, somewhat funky song that definitely promotes newcomer Trond Villa, whose sound and playing style here sound remarkably like those of Jean-Luc Ponty. The rhythm section is still tight though the sound levels of the various instruments in the mix are a little out of balance. Guitarist Jon Arild Eberson stands up well, often going toe-to-toe or opposite the band's newcomer. (17.625/20)

2. "Trees" (10:25) a slow, melancholy melody is introduced on Trond's violin, soon joined by Jon Arild's gentle electric guitar arpeggios and then spacious bass and drums. In the third minute Trond's melody line is doubled and enriched by H'kon's electric piano and swirling organ. Beautiful. In the fourth minute, then, Trond steps out to allow for a transition into a bit of a slow funk from P'l and Espen beneath an aggressive, percussive solo from H'kon's Corea-like piano. But then, at 4:40, Trond and Jon Arild return with their haunting guitar-supported melody--all the while you can tell that Espen is bursting to hold back, wanting to let loose and get more dynamic--which he begins to do a little more in the seventh minute. At 6:40, H'kon's swirling organ crescendos as a bridge to a new funk section with clavinet and funkier bass over which Trond solos with more vim and vigor on his electrified violin. He is soon replaced by Jon Arild's fiery electric guitar for a couple more minutes of funkiness. (It's really not very good funk: very simple and ) Overall, I don't see how the two alternating motifs fit with one another: heart-piercing melancholy and fiery pseudo funk? (17.75/20)

3. "Ballad for My Little Girl" (1:56) feels like a variation on Trond's plaintive melody and style that made the previous song so powerful, only here he is supported by H'kon's piano instead of guitar. Filler? Is the band already so desperate for material in order to get to two 20-minute length sides? (4.25/5)

4. "Filet" (1:23) yet another slow, sappy violin melody (sounding to me like something coming out of a scene from a movie set in the old American Wild West) here supported by electric piano and a little acoustic guitar. It works as a practice/warmup for the next song. (4.375/5)

5. "White" (11:38) more odd, almost forced jazz-funk used to bolster up some fair but by-now-repetitive violin soloing. (Trond is no master at fiery dynamic violin play; he is more of a master of emotional melody.) Around the five-minute mark the band clears out for a spacious somber section in which the band just kind of mulls around (like some kind of In a Silent Way/Bitches Brew studio scene) while Trond and Jon Arild take turns trying to find something worth playing, some kind of inspiration, some kind of melody to possibly excite the audience with. Jon Arild's fire begins to show and catch on in the eighth and ninth minutes, elevating the performances of his cohorts nicely, but then his own inspiration and skill seem to peter out as mistakes and lulls and failures get in the way despite a growing intensity coming from the three rhythmatists (I include H'kon in this reference, of course). A bridge of dynamic showmanship at the ten minute mark signals the end of Jon Arild's time in the spotlight as well as the return of Trond. There are some good parts but as a whole this song just fails on so many levels. It even ends badly!(17.375/20)

6. "Graf" (5:01) finally a song that feels as if it's been thoroughly worked through--to the point at which every musicians' part has been thoroughly mapped out, as if each musician has been given meaningful purpose to every measure of their presence in the song. This is what I've been missing from this album's music: direction, purpose, and cohesion! While it's not a great song, it is a mature composition that has been attentively rendered. (9.125/10)

Total Time: 39:10

Despite the wonderful tones and melodies brought to the band from Trond Villa's violin, the music of Transition feels much less insistent, much less inspired and necessary than the fare the original band produced for their self-titled debut. That band was on a mission! This band feels as if they're trying to imitate or live up to the standard set by the first band (and album). Too bad! They really had such a good thing going! (And drummer P'l Thowsen really was a force!)

B/four stars; a fairly nice collection of Jazz-Rock Fusion songs that could, in my opinion, almost all have used more work, more development, more commitment to fulfilling the potential of each and every musician throughout the course of each and every song. Nowhere near as delightful as the band's self-titled debut.

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