Saxophonist and composer, Marius Neset (b.1985) www.mariusneset.info
was born in Bergen, Norway, home to the internationally renowned Nattjazz
Festival. He grew up listening to bands from the so-called ‘Bergen wave’ of
post-rock such as Royksopp through to the great classical composer of his
hometown Edvard Grieg, as well as more contemporary art music. He took up the saxophone
at the age of five and had lessons on drumming something which he says ‘…gave
me a rhythmic base that was very important…’
In 2003, Neset moved to Copenhagen to study at the Rhythmic
Music Conservatory where the great English pianist and large ensemble arranger
Django Bates was professor and became Neset’s mentor. The saxophonist went on
to become the star turn in Bates’ student big band StoRMchaser recording a CD Spring is Here. Meanwhile Neset also
released his debut Suite for the Seven
Mountains that year featuring a string quartet and the Swedish drummer
Anton Eger.
In 2010, Django Bates took him to London to play at a concert
at Kings Place marking his 50th birthday. Neset also appeared as a guest in
Django Bates’ long time ensemble Human Chain at the famous Ronnie Scott’s club.
Recorded by BBC Jazz on 3, he wowed the audience with his contrast of
lightening virtuosity and tender, ethereal lyricism. This led to his being
signed by the UK independent jazz label Edition Records with his first album, GoldenXplosion, released to glowing
press reviews. By the time of his second CD on Edition Records, Neset had
started developing his interest in larger ensemble music and a wider palette of
instrumental sound.
Neset’s composition and arranging skills have come into even
sharper focus with a new album Lion for
the Munich-based ACT Music and Vision released
in 2014 in collaboration with the celebrated Trondheim Jazz Orchestra.
Now from ACT www.actmusic.com comes a new release of Marius Neset’s music entitled Snowmelt recorded
with the composer on saxophone and his fellow quartet members, Ivo Neame www.ivoneame.co.uk (piano), Pettter Eldh http://pettereldh.com
(bass) and Anton Eger https://twitter.com/antoneger (drums) with the London Sinfonietta www.londonsinfonietta.org.uk conducted by Geoffrey Paterson http://geoffreypaterson.co.uk
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Described as Neset's most ambitious, cherished and personal
project to date the album Snowmelt has its origins in a fifteen minute piece
for solo saxophone and chamber orchestra and five live singers commissioned by
the Oslo Sinfonietta and premiered in 2013. This led Neset to compose a whole
album that required a larger body of strings and would include his own quartet.
The composer speaks of his desire to seek ‘chaos and dissonance while also
being drawn to lyricism and tenderness…(and) find the point when everything
makes sense.’
In eleven movements or sections Snowmelt opens with Prologue where the saxophone opens with
a shrill motif that is developed through varying techniques that bring some
fine textures and timbres. There are some lovely sonorities from the saxophone
in Arches of Nature: Sirens where the
music grows quieter and more reflective, around which the orchestra weave some
lovely woodwind passages before drums bring a beat as the music gains in energy
with a pulsating theme.
In Arches of Nature:
Acrobatics bass and drums bring a steady rhythmic drive to which the piano
joins in this jazz inspired section. Marius
Neset’s saxophone weaves around as do the woodwind of the orchestra, full of an
improvisatory feel as the saxophone finds its own way ahead with piano, bass
and drums acting as a jazz group. There are some terrific passages before
building wildly through the orchestra and going into Arches of Nature: Circles introduced by a trumpet to which drums
join in a steady beat. There are flurries of woodwind and a flowing string
passage that immediately brings a nostalgic air out of which the saxophone is
gently heard, then piano in a lovely blossoming of ideas. Soon the saxophone
emerges more fully within the orchestra as the music rises in an uplifting
theme. There is a sudden halt as the music fragments only for the saxophone and
orchestra to regain their melodic flow to lead into the next section.
The saxophone gives a little motif over a repeated piano
idea and hushed strings as Arches of
Nature: Caves arrives. They are soon interrupted by a faster, rather
light-hearted section where little staccato phrases are delivered by saxophone,
drums and various instruments in a syncopated rhythm that soon flourishes
through some terrific passages as the instrumentalists weave some great ideas
before leading into Arches of Nature:
Paradise where the piano brings a languid section over quiet drums to which
the saxophone adds similarly languid tones. There are some very fine, subtle
rhythmic qualities as the music slowly finds its way ahead. The piano brings
fine little phrases over a mellow, hushed orchestral layer with rhythmic
support from the drums, the piano ever developing the theme. Here one might ask
‘is this jazz or classical?’ The answer surely is yes to both. Soon the piano
and drums develop an idea to which the strings join and out of which grows a
repeated idea from the saxophone and others, as the strings begin to soar up
against the rhythm creating a quite wonderful effect.
As we move into Arches
of Nature: Rainbows drums alone are left. The saxophone adds staccato
phrases before strings bring a more flowing melody, a quite lovely idea that
continues to unfold before leading to a lovely saxophone melody over strings.
The music rises up before finding some richer, lower phrases for saxophone and
moving into Arches of Nature: Pyramiden
where saxophone, drums, piano and bass lead off with a lively, jazz theme.
There are many varying rhythmic ideas as the music swirls and the orchestra
joins. The London Sinfonietta provides some terrific orchestral playing here
before leading with an energetic swirl of instruments to a sudden end.
The Storm Is Over
opens with hushed strings that gently weave ahead with many little details. The
saxophone is quietly heard emerging from the strings in this most gorgeous
moment. It emerges little by little with its lovely theme before the orchestra
brings a lovely tapestry of sound. The piano peers through as the music finds a
lovely flow, rising through fine passages before quietening. The orchestra
arrives at a lovely hovering passage before the wind join, as does the saxophone,
as the music rises again through some more quiet wonderful passages, the
saxophone finding a rich, sonorous tone as it plays over the orchestra, weaving
some fine ideas to a hushed orchestral coda.
The saxophone opens Introduction
to Snowmelt with a series of held notes, creating a primeval quality, wonderfully
played; slowly developing before suddenly becoming louder as a theme develops
out of the opening ideas. Neset draws some spectacularly fine sonorities and
textures from his saxophone weaving the most wonderful ideas. Later a repeated
rhythmic idea for saxophone and drums is suddenly found to which the orchestra
subtly join as we are led into Snowmelt
with the saxophone bringing a theme over a syncopated accompaniment. As the
music develops, Neset creates some very fine orchestral sonorities, constantly
shifting. The piano joins drums and bass to develop the music in a more jazz
orientated direction, before rising in intensity through passages of terrific saxophone
playing over a very fine tapestry of orchestral sound. Later the music falls
through passages of gentler music where the saxophone seems to become distant
over the quartet along with some lovely, subtly shifting orchestral ideas. As
the music slows there is a quite wonderful outpouring of melody from Neset’s saxophone
and strings bringing this work to a gentle end.
Here is music that so naturally defies boundaries and is all
the better for it. Neset is a terrific saxophonist with his quartet and the
London Sinfonietta under Geoffrey Paterson delivering first rate performances.
This is a disc that is likely to have a wide appeal.
The recording made at Air Studios, London, England is
excellent. The three fold digipak CD folder has photos, tracking information and
artist’s details but no notes. However, much information can be obtained via
the composer and record company websites www.mariusneset.info
and www.actmusic.com
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