CATCHING FIRE WITH TERJE RYPDAL

After a slew of albums featuring the legendary Reine Fiske on guitar, this prolific Norse trio have elevated their star power by recruiting that other mythical compatriot Terje Rypdal to play on this massive 82-minute 2017 live concert recording of some of their earlier 'pachydermic' numbers, given maximum expanse to voyage wherever the inspiration takes them. Keyboardist Stale Storlokken lathers up quite the ivory foam, while bassist Nikolae Haengsle circumnavigates all the broiling organ runs with melodic ease, leaving the percussive octopus Torstein Lofthus to bash, slash and thrash his way through the impenetrable rhythmic jungle. As befits Terje's well deserved reputation for being a master of restraint and tone, the pieces provoke an immediate sense of geographical dislocation, a soporific Drakkar cruise into the shadows within the folds of the soul. At times icy cold, ambient and dreamy, the flip of a switch can then have the quartet dive into a fjord of heavy Crimsonian distortion, starless, savage and yet also disciplined. I just managed to describe the trials and tribulations of the epic 22 minute + "I Cover the Mountain Top "!

Their classic "Dodovoodoo" is another leviathan, a minute shorter than the opener, but a completely different kettle of haddock, as the pace here is fast, furious and mercilessly taking no prisoners, with Stale's organ particularly molten and phosphorescent. The rhythmic duo keep drilling as if looking for a musical pool of North Sea oil, careening as if out of control but not really sweating the slightest drop. Terje then takes over, with a fury and gusto that blows the concept of faltering age to smithereens. Manic, delirious, on the outer edges of schizophrenic, the soloing and overall interplay is off the charts. Halfway through, rhythmic hiccups kick in, a bit like on the controversial "We'll Let You Know", off Starless & Bible Black, dropping down to an incongruous hush, the perfect set-up for the glorious mellotron section to make its long-awaited appearance, throttling percussive overdrive in tow. The passage to rough organ flurries is feather lightly unobtrusive, the rubbery bass guitar featured in parallel, chugging wrathfully along with skilled nonchalance. I need to see a voodoo witch doctor to help me sleep.

As befits its ominous title, "Psychedelic Backfire" is no flower power, sunshine of my love trip down Height Ashbury, but a rather stark plunge into a somber chasm of Valhalla doom, gloom and discomfort. No, make that inflicting pain, while drinking mead out of skulls. Here, Terje channels dense guitar stimuli, long bluesy Hendrixian rants that exude all the suffering of the universe. Grating, scathing, scratching and clawing, the hyper-fuzzed organ burps with ribald malice, the bass bulging and the beat schizoid. Slow, but not gentle and certainly not sentimental.

Electric punk-jazz time on "John Tinnick", a hurried 5-minute frenzy verging on delirium, a volcanic spewing of musical creamed corn (as Zappa once said), a virulent need to fasten all seat belts and hold on for dear life. The only ambient moment is the few seconds after the tune is over.

The bass and drum crew really lay it on the line with "Fugel Fonix", Lofthus performing his finest Carl Palmer homage, a rippling bass motif to provide both the courage and the adrenalin, leaving Stale and Terje to shred like a compost factory in full eco-friendly regalia. At one point, the hectic bubbling rhythms collide with the serene shards of extended flicks of the wrists. Atmospheric ecstasy.

How about a dirty, oily, greasy ditty to shut this behemoth down? "Skink" is an epidermic badger of lusty sonic odors, an absurd mood that is excessive and monstrous, a fitting climax to what must have been a draining live exhibition of the jamming genius of four Viking cats on controlled dopamine.

4.5 Matchless Men

This was my most anticipated release for 2024. The thought of the legend known as Terje Rypdal playing lead guitar with this heavy power trio had me drooling. My favourite ELEPHANT9 release is "Silver Mountain" and certainly a big reason for that is the participation of Sweden's own Reine Fiske on guitar. The liner notes are written by David Fricke, and I don't think there's a music fan out there who wouldn't buy this cd after reading his words. He was at this show. And he offers up a very long review that is almost a short story it's so long. And he relates a lot of information about this band I didn't know.

Keyboardist Stale Storlokken was a teenage fan of Jimmy Smith and WEATHER REPORT before discovering the electric Miles Davis and Keith Emerson. Stale first played with Rypdal in 1997 when he began to play on some of Rypdal's studio albums as well as going on the road with him. Rypdal in turn played with Stale in his SUPERSILENT band for a 2007 live show. Stale says this about Rypdal, "When I started playing with him that mix of rock and experimental elements with wonderful melodies really got to me. With ELEPHANT9 when the band gets crazy, Terje gets on top-not with more crazy, but these melodies. That's what's needed when we are in that mode. His melodies are contrapuntal to the integrity."

Fricke relates how Rypdal's involvement with Jan Garbarek was crucial to his career. He played on Garbarek's "Afric Pepperbird" which was only the seventh album released on the ECM label. But it was the start of a lifelong collaboration between Terje and ECM producer Manfred Eicher. ELEPHANT9 began in 2006 when drummer Torstein Lofthus in his last year at the Norwegian Academy of Music, asked Stale and bassist Nikolai Haengsle both from SUPERSILENT to play some seventies Miles Davis stuff with him. The rest is history.

Fricke describes Rypdal's playing here as being like he's firing jagged-block chords and feedback spasms across ELEPHANT9's eccentric funk in "Dodovoodoo", the opening track. "As if guitarist Pete Cosey had left the Miles of "Dark Magus" to join VAN DER GRAAF GENERATOR" Frick relates. Fricke also mentions the track "Psychedelic Backfire" and how Rypdal has this howling-dog tone and spatial flourishes that recalls the Hendrix of "Red House" and "Third Stone From The Sun". He describes "Fugi Fonix" as being on the verge of combustion, like PINK FLOYD's "Meddle" crashing with the climax of THE DOORS' "The End".

And I need to mention the song "John Tinnick" which Haengsle described as "If you're in a bar, had a few and can't speak clearly, when you order a gin and tonic, it's a 'John Tinnick." One of the reasons Stale said that they wanted to release this album was because Terje turned 77 that year and has essentially retired from playing live. They wanted this live document for posterity sake. And he also related that this was the best concert that they played with Rypdal.

One last thing I'll mention from the liner notes is that Rypdal is a patient musician. There are extended periods where Terje doesn't play, he just waits for that opportunity, for his moment. Stale says it was like he would have something to say, then he would listen. We get six tracks worth around 80 minutes. Three songs from their debut "Dodovoodoo", two from their second record "Walk The Nile" and the final one from "Atlantis" where it's interesting hearing Rypdal play what Fiske had already done previously.

My favourite track on here is "Fugi Fonix". My least favourite is the opener. The 9 minutes of mellow to start the album is disappointing to me. When the organ and sound crashes in at 9 minutes I'm ready for the next song. Just my feelings. A 4 star record and an overall disappointment to be honest. Too much here though to not give this a solid 4 stars.