Label: Ultraääni Records, 2022
Personnel - Ville Lähteenmäki: bass clarinet; Nicolas Leirtrø: double bass; Trym Saugstad Karlsen: drums.
Led by the Finnish bass clarinetist and composer Ville Lähteenmäki, this avant-garde Nordic trio rides streams of intriguing, enjoyable sounds with a zealous devotion for the modal spiritual music of the late ‘60s and ‘70s.
“Prelude” has Lähteenmäki’s clamorous bass clarinet lines operating above the frictional netting surface created by the Norwegian rhythm section of bassist Nicolas Leirtrø and drummer Trym Saugstad Karlsen. Brewed with liberation, this passage of freedom gives way to a swinging modalism and bluesy feel that anticipate a well-hinged bass solo.
During his stroll on “Shakti”, the bandleader infuses a lot of rhythmic figures, energetic crescendos, and timbral exploration on the edge, helping to create a dense wave of fervency that naturally invokes John Coltrane and McCoy Tyner. The kinetics are eased in “Calling Alice”, a tribute to Alice Coltrane, where a vamping bass figure is recycled at every 16-beat measure, having rattling percussion giving it that required mysticism we all love.
The trio clearly draws from tradition but heads in unexpected directions, plunging into a sonic haven of both ebullient and relaxing moments that comes to the fore on “Mare Incognitum”, an uptempo piece in six that unfolds before our ears after Karlsen’s imaginative and empathetic drum introduction. At this time, agile bass clarinet acrobatics are leavened with rapid-fire blows, refusing any possible circumspection.
The discreetness arrives in due course with the closing track, “Best Wishes”, but with an unguarded emotional core that is redolent of Pharaoh Sanders and his primitive-sounding explorations. This piece instigates strong group interplay in the form of a template that incorporates bowed bass, shamanic percussion, and contemplative, nearly prayerful melody. It all ends in a quiet soliloquy.
Lähteenmäki’s chosen path for his working trio is as much daring as it is likable.
Favorite Tracks:
01 - Prelude ► 02- Shakti ► 04 - Mare Incognitum