The Squid's Ear Magazine
Squidco Used CD sale - save 20%!



Vathres: Liturgy of Lacuna [VINYL] (thanatosis produktion)

Three expansive works from composer and keyboardist/pianist Alex Zethson, developing concepts from themes and motifs developed over more than a decade, recorded over two years with exceptional care as he and his collaborators create subtle and beautifully evocative sonic environments that seamlessly incorporate acoustic, electronic, drone and feedback elements.
 

Price: $24.95



Quantity:

In Stock

Quantity in Basket: None

Log In to use our Wish List
Shipping Weight: 24.00 units

Sample The Album:





product information:

Personnel:



Alexander Zethson-keyboard, piano, synthesizer

Leo Svensson Sander-vello

Torbjorn Zetterberg-electric bass

Vilhelm Bromander-double bass

Christer Bothen-bass clarinet

Tomas Hallonsten-keyboards

Goran Kajfes-trumpet

Daniel M. Karlsson-electronics

Christian Augustin-drums

Reine Fiske-guitar

Gustaf Hielm-electronic bass

Anton Toorell-synth bass


Click an artist name above to see in-stock items for that artist.




UPC: 8785260879093

Label: thanatosis produktion
Catalog ID: THT28LP
Squidco Product Code: 33315

Format: LP
Condition: New
Released: 2023
Country: Sweden
Packaging: LP
Recorded at Malarhojden Social Club, in Stockholm, Sweden, in July, 2002, through August, 2022, by Anton Toorell.

Descriptions, Reviews, &c.

"Based in Stockholm and active on the international scenes for alternative musics since 2009, keyboardist Alex Zethson is incessantly bringing a certain presence, coarseness and grace to each musical context he's involved with. While maintaining a keen and distinctive voice of his own, he's also a versatile musician with ability to contribute keyboard-centered material to a vast array of artistic expressions - whether he's backing vocalists such as Mariam the Believer, weaving complex hypnotic textures with Goran Kajfes Tropiques, providing profound ostinatos, building harmonic structures, and bursting out as a soloist in large ensembles such as Fire! Orchestra and Angles.

Over the last few years, there has been an increase in albums on which he has stepped forward as a composer and producer, works that unfolds a musical imagination that's consistent yet diverse and multifaceted - from the minimalist and gamelan-inspired chamber-kraut of Some Of Them Were Never Unprepared (Relative Pitch Records/Thanatosis 2021) to the organic synth/piano drone solo work Residy (SUPERPANG/Thanatosis 2022), and the ethereal, voice-centered EP Terje (Supertraditional 2023). This new release is an intriguing continuation to this unfolding process.

Liturgy of Lacuna is the first album of a new project, Vathres - meaning natural rock pools - where Zethson is both composer-producer and keyboardist/pianist. For this particular album he has gathered 14 musicians from the Stockholm scene, in order to realize a rich sound-world around three skeletal themes that date back to early 2010s. "These very basic, skeletal ideas have been in my system for over 10 years", says Zethson, "like sonic fragments that have slipped into my mental background for long periods of time, only to surface time and again, demanding my attention. Since they refused to leave me in peace, I had to listen closer, and now these seeds transformed into a living organism, with flesh and blood."

During the two-year long recording and production process, preconceived idiomatic restraints or fixed overall plans were shunned. Instead, Zethson says, that during the process he's been following his "intuition regarding towards where the music seemed to be gravitating. I always find it exciting to try to find out ways of working that enables and make possible surprises and unexpected turns throughout the process." The result is an album that sits within a sombre post-rock aesthetics (Kranky Records fans will probably be satisfied by its atmosphere and temperament), while also resonating with a shimmering, electronical and quasi-industrial sound design of, e.g., Richard Skelton's 2020 album These Charms May Be Sung Over A Wound and some of doom-metal pioneers Earth's albums. Enriching Zethson's recorded output with characteristics familiar to his previous sets (such as the suggestive minimalism, and subtly evolving long-forms) the album also features elements new to his music, such as the presence of noisy electronics, astral synths traveling the stereofield, heavy doom-laden drums and guitar feedback that seems connected to eternity.

Behind the three image-evoking titles, which almost seems like parts of an abstract epos, are three tracks that gives a sense of a musically narrated story about different materials that move slowly, intermingle, and are gradually transformed. The pieces are forming a coherent whole, yet present three distinctively different sonic time- spaces.

With "and the ashes birthed them into air and their bodies hurtled towards the fire of the sun" we start off in a cold and barren landscape of scratches, noises, rips, buzzing and distortion, that soon become accompanied by a metrical pulse that builds and builds and eventually implodes. Its remaining pieces are transformed into the shape of a motif which is sung by the repeated Rhodes/piano-thrumming and a choirs of gliding synths and trumpet. Bass and drums are providing a stretchable foundation, creating different center-points in the melody, continuously shifting from one round to the next. Suddenly, a more striated space is mapped out, a part that explodes in a burst of electronics (played by Daniel M. Karlsson), over a 7/8-pattern within the ever-dancing 4/4-pulse that's created by rock solid bass clarinet and Fender Rhodes. It's over-taken by a massive drone trio of Vilhelm Bromander's double bass and Leo Svensson Sander's cello, with Christer Bothén's bass clarinet painting the shades of the colossus in different colors. The rhythmic pattern then reappears in the damped low-registered piano, while additional rhythm - as if sparkles from a wildfire - emerges from the percussion setup of Juan Romero.

From here we're transported to "and the sun was subsumed by the lands of silk and soil" and its transparent soundworld of tactile noise, out of which Svensson Sander's cello emerges like an epiphany, weaving gorgeous melodies on top of a 3-bar descending chord progression. It gradually slows in and is echoed by a Rhodes/piano-driven theme framed by arco-strings, synths and glimmering noise.

Flipping side ... and with its only track - "and the screams of the now extinct machines, rose again as nothingness" - it's as if we're entering a completely different scene, new actors, objects, and a different light. A (almost) repeated form - and a soundworld reminiscent of The Bees Made Honey In The Lion's Skull-era Earth - slowly build up, and is constantly moving forward in slow pace with Gustaf Hielm's bass and Christian Augustin's drums providing a stable, haunted plateau that acts like a backdrop for Reine Fiske's morphing feedback cries, which sometimes merges with the cello sounds. With Zethson subsequently adding a piano ostinato - a role he's been continuously nurturing in above-mentioned bands such as F!O, Tropiques and Angles - the composition turns into a unstoppable creature, steadily waddling on and on, trembling with presence. After ca 10 minutes however, the machine does stop, and the second half of the B-side brings us to an other-worldly landscape, a collectively formed block of sounds - at the same time astral and industrial - echoing the 3-bar motif on track two, before finally landing on a temporary point of unsafe stability.

***

Regarding the recording process, Zethson explains that: "while all the three tracks have been sculpted with utilizing the studio as a compositional tool, the third cut is different from the first two in the sense that it was made a long uninterrupted cut. It's a first take, and the only take. The first two pieces, one the other hand, were made during multiple sessions. They were left to rest for periods of time, and then taken up and worked upon again, removing and adding elements until finally finding a sense of balance". While being the brainchild of Zethson, the album, he states, "is very much a co-creation and a result of ongoing experimenting with longtime friend and collaborator, guitarist, producer and engineer Anton Toorell, whose importance for the final result I can't stress enough. Also, the music is created communally, and I'm deeply grateful for the dedication and immense musicality of all the musicians involved. I'm also extremely happy that Mell Dettmer, who's been working with bands that have had huge influence on me (such as Sunn O))) and Earth), wanted to do the mastering of the album".

With Liturgy of Lacuna there's no doubt that Zethson together with his thirteen co- musicians have created a vibrant sonic organism, that give its listeners a bath in 37 minutes of transcendental bliss. "-Thanatosis

Also available as a compact disc.

Artist Biographies

"Alexander Zethson has completed the bachelor performance programme in jazz at KMH and is currently studying at the second year of the master's programme with Lisa Ullén as his primary instrument teacher.

Alexander has participated in extensive concert and tour activities and has participated in fifteen record productions. The ensembles include:

• Niklas Barnö's free jazz group Je Suis!• A number of tours in Europe with Martin Küchen's group Angles 9

Alexander is also active as arranger and pianist in collaboration with the Trondheim Jazz Orchestra, a cooperation which began in 2011. Zethson, Sofia Jernberg and Lene Grenager has arranged music from Hallingdal and Røros performed by the TJO with Zethson, Jernberg and violinist/Hardanger fiddler Olav Luksengård Mjelva."

-KMH Royal College of Music in Stockholm (https://www.kmh.se/alexander-zethson-received-the-rosenborg-gehrmans-scholarship)
4/24/2024

Have a better biography or biography source? Please Contact Us so that we can update this biography.

"Cellist Leo Svensson Sander is a member of Erlend Viken Trio, Eter (6), Gul 3, Skog Och Dal, Skogen, Skuggorna Och Ljuset, The Tiny, Walrus"

-Discogs 4/24/2024

Have a better biography or biography source? Please Contact Us so that we can update this biography.

"Torbjörn Zetterberg (born 10 May 1976) is a Swedish jazz musician (double bass) and composer, known from collaborations with Jonas Kullhammar.

Zetterberg attended Södra Latin och Fridhems Folkhögskola in Svalöv but was first recognised as bassist when he studied at Kungliga Musikhögskolan in Stockholm still very young. Here he studied bass under guidance of Jan Adefelt. Soon he joined drummer Fredrik Norén's band together with the saxophonist Jonas Kullhammar. Already at this point one could sense that he would become a prominent figure in the Swedish jazz scene. Now his name is firmly rooted in the vibrant progressive selection as the new jazz generation.

He went through a personal crisis and did not record as a bandleader for more than seven years. Zetterberg was uncomfortable with his career and in 2010 he decided to leave the urban life including his bass, and moved to a Buddhist temple. There he resided for a year and still spends half of his time there in 2016. This existential crisis led to the production of the album Och Den Stora Frågan ("And the Big Question" in Swedish) in 2014. Here he collaborated with well known musicians from his earlier career, like the Portuguese trumpeter Susana Santos Silva and drummer Jon Fält, known from albums with pianist Bobo Stenson's trio. The album is "charged with joyful urgency, shiny optimism and confident flowing energy, despite the doubts and uncertainties that accompany any creative, artistic process", the reporter of All About Jazz stated in 2014."

-Wikipedia (https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Torbj%C3%B6rn_Zetterberg)
4/24/2024

Have a better biography or biography source? Please Contact Us so that we can update this biography.

"Vilhelm BroMander (1988) is a Swedish bass player, improviser and composer based in Stockholm. He embraces his bass from many different angles, with a great curiosity in sound, texture, intonation and timbre. Often he directs his focus to acoustic details such as beating, common partials and difference tones - to hear what happens with our perception when we allow ourselves to be immersed in sound for a longer stretch of time. He draws inspiration from a wide variety of genres such as improvised music, free jazz and electronic music as well as his studies of just intonation and dhrupad.

As an improviser he has played with musicians like Axel DöRner, Tisha Mukarji, Michael Thieke, Sten Sandell, Christer BothéN, Katt Hernandez, Lisa UlléN, Henrik Olsson to name a few.

Also being a popular session musician he has played with among others Daniel Johnston, Saigon, Musette, Joe Davolaz, Josefin öHrn + The Liberation, The Tiny & Music Is The Weapon."

-Vilhelm Bromander Website (http://www.vilhelmbromander.com/about.html)
4/24/2024

Have a better biography or biography source? Please Contact Us so that we can update this biography.

"Christer Bothén born 1941 in Gothenburg, based in Stockholm, Sweden. Composer, musician and artist. His main instruments are bass clarinet, contrabass clarinet, donso n'goni and guimbri. Bothén spent 1971 - 72 in Mali, where he studied hunter's music and donso n'goni with master Broema Dombia in Bougouni, Wassoulut. In 1977 he took up gnawa music studies with master Maalem Abdellatif Elmakhzoumi in Marrakech, who he studied with until the master passed away in 2017. From 1970 onwards, Bothén collaborated with Don Cherry, and he also taught Cherry the donso n'goni. In 1980 Bothén started Bolon Bata, a band that toured intensively, performing Bothéns compositions. Its members included Bosse Skoglund, Marianne N'Lemvo and Ulf Lindén. Later the band became Bolon X, adding band members Morgan Ågren and Rafael Sida. From 1990 onwards, Bothén has continued leading his own groups, and has also collaborated frequently with multi-reedist Mats Gustafsson, performance artist and musician Sara Lundén and cornetist Goran Kajfeš."

-Thanatosis (https://thanatosis.org/christer-bothn)
4/24/2024

Have a better biography or biography source? Please Contact Us so that we can update this biography.

Tomas Hallonsten is a Swedish keyboard and trumpet player. Hallonsten is known for his solo work and with the groups Exploding Customer, Fire! Orchestra, Pallin, Tape, Time Is a Mountain, and Vega.

-Squidco 4/24/2024

Have a better biography or biography source? Please Contact Us so that we can update this biography.

"Goran Kajfes, born 22 June 1970 in Tyreso Assembly, is a Swedish trumpeter. Kajfeš is the son of Davor Kajfeš.

Goran has worked with, among others, Eric Gadd, Stina Nordenstam, Fläskkvartetten, Kent, The Tiny, Bruno K. Öijer, Neneh Cherry, Robyn, Mando Diao, Lester Bowie, Blacknuss, Sugababes, Nicolai Dunger, Håkan Hellström, Janet Jackson, Moneybrother, Freddie Wadling, José González, The Soundtrack of Our Lives, Eric Malmberg, Club Killers, Monica Zetterlund, Eagle-Eye Cherry, Eldkvarn, Matti Bye and Bo Diddley, The Thing XL, weeping willows, Cheik Lo.

Solo debut Home (2000) was released on the EMI (Kaza / Blue Note) and a lot of attention for his mix of jazz and electronics. Sequel HeadSpin won a Grammy (2004). The third album, X / Y (2010) was nominated for this year's jazz album in The Independent, and was hailed around the world including magazine Mojo. He was also awarded the Nordic Music Prize for the disc. After the album was released (with his Subtropic Arkestra) The Reason Why Vol.1 (2012) and most recently, The Reason Why Vol. 2 (2014). Both featured in Mojo, Uncut, Songlines, The Wire, Jazz Journal and so on.

Kajfeš is also featured in the jazz group Oddjob, together with among others Per "Ruskträsk" Johansson and Daniel Karlsson, who has released six full-length albums (Amigo Music, ACT, Headspin Recordings) and beyond that also Grammy Award winning children's album Jazzoo. He is also a member of the free jazz band Nacka Forum (Moserobie Records) with Kjell Nordeson, Jonas Kullhammar and Johan Berthling, Angles 9, Fire! Orchestra, Magnus Carlson & The Moon Ray Quintet and skabandet Jobalites.

He runs the record company Headspin Recordings, with David Österberg.

Kajfeš has also composed music for films and television series including Kristian Petri's The Well documentaries and feature films Details, The Mouse of Bigert Bergstrom, The Sun of Ulf Rollof, vignette music to the SVT Cobra, All wild, a film about Birgitta Stenberg, Havana Motor Club by Bent-Jorgen Perlmutt. He has written and performed music for Saw The White Buffalo Dancing with dance group Vindhäxor.

Oddjob The group performed a large part of the music (composed by Matti Bye) to the hundred year old who climbed out the window and disappeared.

Kajfeš produced weeping willows albums The Time Has Come, Magnus Carlson and the Moon Ray quintet and most of Titiyos album Hidden.

In 2014 asked Kajfeš in collaboration with David Osterberg audio installation Batysphere on Färgfabriken."

-Wikipedia translated by Google (https://sv.wikipedia.org/wiki/Goran_Kajfe )
4/24/2024

Have a better biography or biography source? Please Contact Us so that we can update this biography.

Daniel M. Karlsson, born 1980, is a Swedish composer and electronic musician based in Stockholm that works with algorithmic composition. His music is focused primarily on texture and timbre. Daniel M Karlsson has a Masters degree in Computer Music from Kungliga Musikhögskolan I Stockholm.

-Squidco 4/24/2024

Have a better biography or biography source? Please Contact Us so that we can update this biography.

Christian Augustin (born 1983) is a Swedish drummer, known for the bands Dammit I'm Mad, Flickstick, Kantor, Khoma, KRISPR, Riwen and Totalt Jävla Mörker.

-Metal Archives (https://www.metal-archives.com/artists/Christian_Augustin/552181)
4/24/2024

Have a better biography or biography source? Please Contact Us so that we can update this biography.

"Nils Reine Fiske (born 4 October 1972 in Saltsjö-Boo, Sweden) is a Swedish guitarist, art director and sound engineer at the record label Subliminal Sounds, who put his signature to many prog-rock project such as Landberk, Morte Macabre, Paatos, Motorpsycho, Elephant9, and Träd, Gräs & Stenar, but is best known for his playing in the band Dungen.

Fiske is currently playing in The Amazing with Christopher Gunrup, but has also played with the band Reform, and is a member of Sylvester Schlegel's band The Guild, in addition to those already mentioned. In 2012 he has released two albums, one with the band Svenska Kaputt which in addition to Fiske is constituted by Jonas Kullhammar, Torbjörn Zetterberg and Johan Holmegard, Still Life With Eggplant and Behind the Sun with the Norwegian prog-rock band Motorpsycho, and Atlantis with another Norwegian prog-rock band Elephant9, comprising the trio Ståle Storløkken, Nikolai Eilertsen and Torstein Lofthus. The latter appeared at Kongsberg Jazz Festival 2012. He is currently a member of Träd, Gräs & Stenar."

-Wikipedia (https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Reine_Fiske)
4/24/2024

Have a better biography or biography source? Please Contact Us so that we can update this biography.

Erik Gustaf Harald Hielm is a guitarist and bassist, known for the groups Charta 77, Mats/Morgan Band, Meshuggah, Pain Of Salvation, Piggy In The Middle, and Forkelid.

-Discogs (https://www.discogs.com/artist/543897-Gustaf-Hielm)
4/24/2024

Have a better biography or biography source? Please Contact Us so that we can update this biography.

Anton Toorell is a guitarist & electronics artist, known group work and music for films. He is a member of Invader Ace, Receptacles, Dammit I'm Mad, and has worked with The Ägg, Trondheim Jazz Orchestra & The MaXx, Linnea Henriksson, Carolina Wallin Perez, and Propanions.

-Anton Toorell Website (https://www.antontoorell.com/)
4/24/2024

Have a better biography or biography source? Please Contact Us so that we can update this biography.


Track Listing:



1. And The Ashes Birthed Them Into Air And Their Bodies Hurtled Towards The Fire Of The Sun 14:06

2. And The Sun Was Subsumed By The Lands Of Silk And Soil 5:09

3. And The Screams Of The Now Extinct Machines, Rose Agina As Nothingness 17:15

Related Categories of Interest:


Vinyl Recordings
Electro-Acoustic
Compositional Forms
Improvised Music
Piano & Keyboards
Electronic Forms
European Improvisation, Composition and Experimental Forms
Large Ensembles
Staff Picks & Recommended Items
New in Experimental & Electronic Music
New in Compositional Music

Search for other titles on the label:
thanatosis produktion.


Recommended & Related Releases:
Bothen, Christer / Vilhelm Bromander
Deep
(Creative Sources)
"Deep" is the word, as two Swedish improvisers--bass and contrabass clarinetist Christer Bothen, a member of Fire! Orchestra and Mats Gustafsson's Nu Ensemble, and double bassist Vilhelm Bromander, a peer of Axel Dorner, Sten Sandell, Raymond Strid, &c.--formed the duo "CBVB" to explore the possibilities of their big instruments, heard in this 6 movement, profound suite.
Vathres
Liturgy of Lacuna
(thanatosis produktion)
Three expansive works from composer and keyboardist/pianist Alex Zethson, developing concepts from themes and motifs developed over more than a decade, recorded over two years with exceptional care as he and his collaborators create subtle and beautifully evocative sonic environments that seamlessly incorporate acoustic, electronic, drone and feedback elements.
Carl 666 Gustaf
Claim
(thanatosis produktion)
The album art represents the intensity of this Swedish duo's Industrial music, from keyboardist Carl Westholm (Carptree, Avatarium, Krux, Candlemass) and bass player Gustaf Hielm (Pain of Salvation, Meshuggah, Mats/Morgan, Tiamat, &c), using electronics, field recordings, pulsing rhythms and synthetics to develop a complex and dark world of menacing force.
Angles & Elle-Kari with Strings
The Death of Kalypso [VINYL 2 LPs]
(thanatosis produktion)
The 12th album from Martin Küchen's Angles ensemble is expanded and developed with notations and string arrangements from Alexander Zethson, and the voice of Elle-Kari Sander, in an engrossing album of powerfully compelling jazz rhythms & soloing, orchestral swells and emphatic songs pivoting around the mythology of the nymph Calypso, woven into contemporary concepts; sensational!
Zethson, Alex
Terje
(Supertraditional)
Two movements from a live score for the classic silent film Terje Vigen by Sjöström composed and produced by Swedish pianist & keyboardist Alex Zethson (Angles 9, VÖ, Fire! Orchestra), two long-form tracks of dark and sombre, pulsating folk-drone featuring Norwegian vocal ensemble EMBLA plus appearances by, i.e., Christer Bothén, Kristin Amparo Sundberg and Goran Kajfeš.
Angles & Elle-Kari with Strings
The Death of Kalypso
(thanatosis produktion)
The 12th album from Martin Küchen's Angles ensemble is expanded and developed with notations and string arrangements from Alexander Zethson, and the voice of Elle-Kari Sander, in an engrossing album of powerfully compelling jazz rhythms & soloing, orchestral swells and emphatic songs pivoting around the mythology of the nymph Calypso, woven into contemporary concepts; sensational!
Bromander, Vilhelm
Oh Lord Give Me Strange
(Creative Sources)
Ahanes (Kokkoli / Arapis / Aleklint / Zethson / Zetterberg / Agnas)
Petrichor
(Clean Feed)
Stockholm pianist Alexander Zethson invited Greek saxophonist Nicky Kokkoli and guitarist Giannis Arapis to take part in his 13-piece Thanatosis festival ensemble VÖ; they then asked drummer Nils Agnas, bassist Torbjörn Zetterberg and trombonist Mats Äleklint to join them for this sublimely flowing sextet studio session, which includes works by Mingus and Coltrane.
Bromander, Vilhelm
In This Forever Unfolding Moment
(thanatosis produktion)
Drawing on ideas from the 60s and 70--Ornette Coleman, John and Alice Coltrane, Don Cherry, and Charlie Haden--bassist Vilhelm Bromander assembles an accomplished ensemble of Stockholm improvisers to perform three works of warmth and spiritual power, incorporating jazz, world and contemporary music in a stunning and rich album that exudes a wealth of experience and musical clarity.
Soderberg, Peter
String Dialogues
(thanatosis produktion)
A collection of six duo recordings from musician, composer, and improviser Peter Soderberg, investigating different tuning systems and the idea of hybrid instruments, recording with Katt Hernandez (violin), Stina Hellberg Agback (harp), Mats Persson (clavichord), Sten Sandell (piano), My Hellgren (cello) and Vilhelm Bromander (contrabass).
Zethson, Alex
Terje
(Supertraditional)
Two movements from a live score for the classic silent film Terje Vigen by Sjöström composed and produced by Swedish pianist & keyboardist Alex Zethson (Angles 9, VÖ, Fire! Orchestra), two long-form tracks of dark and sombre, pulsating folk-drone featuring Norwegian vocal ensemble EMBLA plus appearances by, i.e., Christer Bothén, Kristin Amparo Sundberg and Goran Kajfeš.
Ahanes (Kokkoli / Arapis / Aleklint / Zethson / Zetterberg / Agnas)
Petrichor
(Clean Feed)
Stockholm pianist Alexander Zethson invited Greek saxophonist Nicky Kokkoli and guitarist Giannis Arapis to take part in his 13-piece Thanatosis festival ensemble VÖ; they then asked drummer Nils Agnas, bassist Torbjörn Zetterberg and trombonist Mats Äleklint to join them for this sublimely flowing sextet studio session, which includes works by Mingus and Coltrane.
Zethson, Alex
Residy
(thanatosis produktion)
The Residy, or remains of a unique variation on JS Bach's Goldberg Variation no. 21, performed live by pianist Alex Zethson who maintains the structure, rhythmic movement and note order of Bach's composition, while dispersing the notes and intervals into two synths and an E-bowed grand piano to evoke these meditative and expansive interpretations.
Angles
A Muted Reality
(Clean Feed)
The chameleonic configuration of Angles is here an octet, in a powerfully building and passionate set of three recordings performed by Martin Kuchen (alto sax), Magnus Broo & Goran Kajfes (trumpets), Mats Aleklint (trombone), Mattias Stahl (vibraphone), Alexander Zethson (piano & synth), Konrad Agnas (drums) and Johan Berthling (double bass); exemplary.
Talp, Linnea
Arch Of Motion
(thanatosis produktion)
Performed with Stockholm musicians including pianist Alexander Zethson, wind player Martin Küchen and trombonist Mats Äleklint, organist Linnéa Talp explores the areas of sound that emulate breathing, push/pull or back & forth motion, in eight beautifully paced recordings led by the organ's rich and microtonal vibrations & timbre and imbued by the contributor's subtle additions.
Child of Illusion (Pitsiokos / Santos Silva / Zetterberg)
Khimaira
(Relative Pitch)
The 3-headed monster Khimaira--a lion head in front, a goat head at its back and a snake head at its tail--is rendered by the transatlantic trio of NY saxophonist Chris Pitsiokos, Portuguese trumpeter Susana Santos Silva and Swedish bassist Torbjourn Zetterberg, using profound technique, snarling interaction and contemplative patience to coax the beast in masterful interplay.
Zethson, Alex Ensemble
Some Of Them Were Never Unprepared
(Relative Pitch)
Exploring how a composition can provide a sense of weightlessness, and influenced by the music of gamelan, krautrock, Tony Conrad & Arnold Dreyblatt, composer Alex Zethson structured these works to influence the 13 performers in his ensemble into a state of intense focus and listening as they strike, bow and pluck their instruments, creating an ecstatic sense of infinite motion.
Bothen, Christer
Ambrosia [3 CD BOX SET]
(thanatosis produktion)
Swedish contrabass clarinetist Christ Bothen in six extended works, the first and third disks a series of solo works using incredible technique and concentration, the 2nd disc a large work in an ensemble with fellow deep reedists Hans Koch & Per Texas Johansson, double bassist Vilhelm Bromander, pianists Kristine Scholz & Tisha Mukarji, and a spectral narrative from Sofia Jernberg.
Zethson, Alexander
Pole Of Inaccessibility [2 CDs]
(thanatosis produktion)
Darkly meditative and somber compositions for the lower registers of the grand piano accompanied by synthesizer, in two extended pieces by Je Suis! and Angles 9 pianist Alexander Zethson, using the interactions between the deep piano keys and synth more as a sound source than as a distinct instrument, each reshaping the other to create a cloud of sound.
Granberg, Magnus / Skogen
Let Pass My Weary Guiltless Ghost
(Another Timbre)
First performed in November 2019 at the Huddersfield Contemporary Music Festival and then at the Splitter Orchester festival in Berlin, this studio recording of Magnus Granberg's delicately complex and exquisitely dream-like composition features his Skogen ensemble, including Granberg, Rhodri Davies, Toshimaru Nakamura, Erik Carlsson, Petter Wastberg, &c.
Angles 9
Beyond Us
(Clean Feed)
Now a distinct edition of saxophonist Martin Kuchen's concept, the Angles 9 ensemble is captured live at the Zomer Jazz Fiets Tour in The Netherlands in 2018, performing Kuchen's embraceable and lyrical compositions, allowing his masterful band--including Magnus Broo, Johan Berthling, Mattias Stahl, &c.--great opportunities for collective playing and profound soloing.
Granberg, Magnus / Skogen
Nun, es wird nicht weit mehr gehn
(Another Timbre)
Composer Magnus Granberg took influences from Schubert's song cycle "Die Winterreise", extracting tonal material, which he merged with rhythmic influences from medieval English folk music and a song by Dowland, merging them into a temporal framework for this large and subtle composition, executed by a setpet including Angharad Davies, Erik Carlsson, Henrik Olsson, d'incise, &c.
Levin, Daniel Quartet (Levin / Maneri / Moran / Zetterberg)
Live at Firehouse 12
(Clean Feed)
Cellist Daniel Levin's sophisticated jazz quartet with Mat Maneri (viola), Matt Moran (vibes), and Torbjorn Zetterberg (double bass) are captured live at Connecticut's Firehouse 12 for a superb album of modern improv with great skill, depth and style.
Levin, Daniel Quartet
Friction
(Clean Feed)
Cellist Daniel Levin Quartet leads his quartet with Nate Wooley on trumpet, Matt Moran on vibes, and Torbjorn Zetterberg on bass, in open-minded modern compositions that blend jazz, chamber, and experimental improvisation of reserved and riveting character.
Skuggorna Och Ljuset / Magnus Granberg
Would Fall From The Sky, Would Wither And Die
(Another Timbre)
A new composition by clarinetist and composer Magnus Granberg, the leader of the highly acclaimed ensemble Skogen, this time with a new, smaller group that includes percussionist Erik Carlsson, performing his beautiful, melancholic music.
Angles 9
Injuries [VINYL 2 LPs]
(Clean Feed)
Now a nine-piece, Martin Kuchen leads the magnificently powerful Angles band through 7 demanding compositions, with trumpeter Magnus Broo back in the band alongside Alexander Zethson, Mattias Stahl, Jonan Berthling, Andreas Werlin, Eirik Hegdal, Mats Aleklint & Goran Kajfes.



The Squid's Ear Magazine

The Squid's Ear Magazine

© 2002-, Squidco LLC