WHAT COMES AFTER

Terje Rypdal albums seem to be getting harder to get with each passing year. Thankyou Presdoug for allowing me to finally hear this one. And even though i've only been listening to this for about a week and a half i'd say it's already a top three Rypdal record for me.

"Bend It" opens with percussion as the bass joins in and we get this repetitive bass line throughout which sounds really good. Guitar joins in and it sounds amazing after 2 minutes. Bowed bass after 2 1/2 minutes. The guitar is more prominant 5 minutes in. This is so good. "Yearning" opens with acoustic guitar expressions as English horn comes in after a minute along with bass. This has a melancholic mood throughout. "Icing" opens with different sounds like guitar, aboe. bass, chimes and so on. Sounds like flute too as the drums arrive. The guitar comes to the fore 2 1/2 minutes in. This is a relaxed tune.

"What Comes After" has a beat as the guitar and atmosphere joins in. Love the guitar and bass here. Bowed bass 4 1/2 minutes in as everything becomes more passionate. It settles back 6 minutes in but not for long. Rypdal rips it up after 9 minutes. Lots of atmosphere 10 minutes in as it settles back. "Sejours" is a relaxed track with bowed bass, atmosphere and flute. "Back Of J' has these sparse guitar and bass sounds. Drums do become active late.

Easily 4 stars and without a doubt one of Rypdal's best.

The third effort of Rypdal was again released on ECM in 1974.However the material of ''What Comes After'' was recorded about a year ago, in August 73' at Arne Bendiksen Studio in Oslo.It features, except Rypdal on guitars, Jon Christensen on organ/percussion, Barre Phillips on bass/double bass, Sveinung Hovensjø on electric bass and Erik Niord Larsen on horn/oboe.

I've never figured out what Rypdal was trying to achieve with such kind of works.''What Comes After'' is another of his ultra-minimalistic efforts of combining Lounge Jazz with Psychedelic and Ethnic Music, but the result sounds totally pointless and boring.The tracks are based on long hypnotic grooves, based either on drums or bass, combined with individual instrumental but uninspired solos on double bass, guitars or horns.But all the ideas seem way too overstreched to be even a bit appreciated and actually some of them are quite atmospheric, especially those led by Rypdal's ROBERT FRIPP-like guitar work or the decent plays on organ and flutes.The lack though of any diversity, passion and energy buries all of them.The music even tends to flirt with the sound of silence at moments, being too relaxed and calm for its own good.

I can't find any reason to recommend this work to anybody.It sure has some traces of composing talent, but the overall sound closes to absolute minimalism and fails to capture the listener's attention at any point.Better avoid it, just 1.5 fading stars.