Label: Reykjavík Record Shop, 2021
Personnel - Sigmar Matthiasson: double bass; Ásgeir Ásgeirsson: oud, tamboura; Haukur Gröndal: clarinet; Ingi Bjarni Skúlason: piano; Matthías Hemstock: drums + guests Ayman Boujlida: konnakol, percussion (#5); Taulant Mehmeti: çifteli (#).
The Icelandic bassist, composer and arranger Sigmar Matthiasson fronts a dynamic ensemble that perfectly serves his compositional abilities in merging Eastern and Western influences. Reflecting his musical personality, Meridian Metaphor, seamlessly integrates the jazz idiom with sounds of the world (mostly Balkan and Arabic), combining different hues and emotions in a pleasant, organic way.
The opening piece, “Don”, flows in three and transports us to a picturesque Eastern landscape that I personally imagine with high mountains and clear, starry skies. If looking for a point of comparison, I could mention the jazz fusion in the collaborative duo Dave Holland/Zakir Hussein, but this music flows with its own voice. Some rock stamina is brought by an 11-beat cycle passage before returning to the central theme, and the transitions from one solo to another are smooth and efficient.
Boasting an additive meter (6+5), “Fordómalausir” thrives with the sophistication of its melody, which also conveys some mystery. The oud gives it a special touch in the texture, and its player, Ásgeir Ásgeirsson, also shines in an improvisation over a bass pedal.
Rhythms intersect with envelope-pushing aesthetics in “East River” and “Karthago”, which are both warmly celebratory and folk-induced in nature. The latter piece features guest percussion from Ayman Boujlida and spotlights pianist Ingi Bjarni Skúlason who dishes out some ascendant phrases ascertained by chromatic splendor.
The amiable balladic side and lounging qualities of “Stinningskaldi” contrast with the excitement of “Nu Rock”, which starts in slow motion with bowed bass and oud but ends in fractured avant-garde mode.
“Mehmetaphor” closes out the album with a Middle Eastern temperament that evolves from a deliberate introductory section to a sumptuous dance in six over which the clarinetist Haukur Gröndal shines. The group eventually returns to the initial pulsation, and one can detect the çifteli and the oud working together.
Matthiasson’s facility to establish lovely moods with a nice empathy is noticeable and his bandmates certainly haven’t let him down with their dedicated work. This disc contains imaginative sonic worlds ready to be discovered.
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Favorite Tracks:
01 - Don ► 03 - Fordómalausir ► 08 - Mehmetaphor