Label: ECM Records, 2022
Personnel - Marius Neset: tenor saxophone; Helge Lien: piano; Arild Andersen: double bass; Håkon Mjåset Johansen: drums.
Arild Andersen is a Norwegian bassist and composer who has been professionally active for over five decades, having recorded with the master composer George Russell, trumpeter Don Cherry, and saxophonist Jan Garbarek, among others. And it’s precisely with a mood and sound that recalls the latter musician that he opens Affirmation, an album comprising an unedited improvised seven-part suite and one composed piece.
“Affirmation, Part I: One” is atmospherically nocturnal with balanced, soaring sounds that reveal lyrical melancholia and a touch of class. Backed by three other extremely competent Norwegian musicians - saxophonist Marius Naset, pianist Helge Lien and drummer Håkon Mjåset Johansen - Andersen pushes us to the immersive brushes-driven state of “Affirmation, Part I: Two”, where the group conjures moments of vivid intimacy. Neset’s saxophone is delicate if searching; Lien’s pianism is unobtrusive, and Andersen’s interjections are chanting and poetic.
Johansen’s percussive work is particularly contagious on “Affirmation, Part I: Four”, a slightly dancing piece within a static environment, where the rhythm section beckons and ultimately coaxes Neset’s tenor into an inside/outside exploration. There’s plenty of reaction by Lien, and everything ends pacifically after the group’s effortless communication heightens both tension and curiosity.
“Affirmation, Part II: Five” brims with a pulsating punctuation and ear-catching interplay between Andersen and Lien. Then, we have a juxtposed, beefed up dialogue between the bandleader and Neset. Bursts of swinging activity are impeccably generated, proving this group can seamlessly alternate stillness and ferocity in their music.
An inconsolable romantic impressionism is detected on “Affirmation, Part II: Seven”, and the group concludes this positive session with “Short Story”, a Jarrett-esque, Andersen-penned ballad with spotless melody, harmonic amenity, and an endlessly captivating saxophone statement full of emotion. With all four performers in top form, Affirmation is an incredible sonic expedition.
Favorite Tracks:
01 - Affirmation, Part I: One ► 04 - Affirmation, Part I: Four ► 05 - Affirmation, Part II: Five