Label: Sonic Transmissions Records, 2025
Personnel - Karl Hjalmar Nyberg: tenor saxophone, electronics; Amalie Dahl: alto saxophone; Marta Warelis: piano, electronics; Jonathan F. Horne: guitar; Ingebrigt Håker Flaten: bass; Olaf Olsen: drums; Mette Rasmussen: alto saxophone (#1); Veslemøy Nervesen: drums (#1).
Free-spirited Norwegian bassist Ingebrigt Håker Flaten returns with his remarkable (Exit) Knarr project, whose lineup has shifted multiple times since its 2022 debut. On the group’s third studio album, Drops, the now-stable sextet sees a few changes from Breezy (2024), with altoist Amalie Dahl and pianist Marta Warelis replacing Mette Rasmussen and Oscar Grönberg, respectively. He has also removed trumpet from the instrumentation, incorporating heavier doses of electronics to achieve an overwhelming realization of his experimental, post-modern jazz vision. Graphic scores—an unconventional notation learned from Mats Gustafsson and Anthony Braxton—were also introduced.
The opene, a thought-provoking deconstruction of Wayne Shorter’s “Deluge”, expands the group to an octet with the return of former members Rasmussen and drummer Veslemøy Nervesen. The piece brims with the methodical, slashing guitar chords of Jonathan F. Horne, who layers jarring harmonies over a vibrant rhythmic mesh of bass and drums. Coiled saxophone extemporizations fill the spaces left from the main idea, leading to a tense, abstract passage marked by chromatic bass motion and daring piano gestures. Buzzing swarms of sound, squeaking and growling reeds, and primal drumming emerge, with electronics lending a stratospheric dimension that lingers until the fade-out.
If that rendition surprises, the closer, “Austin Vibes” (Håker Flaten has been based in Austin, Texas, since 2009), is a quirky yet catchy fusion of electro-avant-jazz tweaked by tenorist and electronic artist Karl Hjalmar Nyberg. Together with Dahl, he fires scorching blasts before the piece concludes with the swagger of a triumphant march. In contrast, the title track, “Drops”, feels like slow-mo chamber music, subtly stirred by Warelis’ fleet-footed piano notes falling in the background.
The richly textured “Kanón”, written for drummer Paal Nilssen-Love, opens with percussion turned persistent snare ruffs and long sax notes reworked with flickering motions. A central figure emerges from bass and guitar, while drummer Olaf Olsen answers the call with equal precision. Nyberg’s saxophone improvisation is both acrobatic and forceful, though the mood softens into moments of serenity underscored by walking bass and understated drumming. At this juncture, Horne and Dahl are free to explore while Warelis drifts in and out, releasing stylish cascades of notes. The swing intensifies, shifting into an odd-metered vamp before the final electro-punk rave that closes out the piece.
Håker Flaten orchestrates with a singular touch, displaying an exquisite sense of form. Drops is one of those albums better absorbed than analyzed—yet unquestionably essential for adventurous jazz listeners.
Favorite Tracks:
01 - Deluge ► 03 - Kanon
