Tord Gustavsen Ensemble – Restored, Returned (2009)
The great Norwegian pianist returns, not with his critically acclaimed trio, but with a larger ensemble of musicians with his new CD, “Restored, Returned”, released in 2009. The ensemble consists of Tord Gustavsen on piano, Kristin Asbjørnsen on vocals, Tore Brunborg on saxophones, Mats Eilertsen on double bass, and Jarle Vespestad on drums. This new release by Gustavsen is similar in compositional concept to his trio recordings, however the addition of saxophone and vocals brings a fresh new approach to Gustavsen’s adored song-writing style. The CD is subtle, delicate, intricate, inspired and emotional; full of twists and turns, yet still undeniably Tord.
The album opens with a duo piece entitled, “The Child Within” that features Gustavsen and saxophonist Tore Brunborg. It’s an emotional, uncompromising performance that to me evokes imagery of a tragic film scene. The piano and saxophone work together to create a lush bed of melody and evocative harmony that is captivating to listen to. What I found particularly interesting about this composition is the large use of repeated notes in the melody. Gustavsen’s brief piano solo that follows the melody also contained said repeated notes, connecting the two sections nicely. Brunborg takes the composition out with the melody, building his phrasing to a climax, with Gustavsen catching his interpretation all the way.
“Way In” is composed with more of a rubato feel. It opens with an eerie piano voice, and slowly builds with the addition of percussion before concluding with a chilling unaccompanied double bass solo. The ensemble use a lot of space in the opening seconds of the tune, allowing room to breathe and develop both musically, and stylistically. It’s clear that everyone in the ensemble is sensitive to what each other is doing at any given point in the composition’s evolution. The collective sound of the ensemble on this track is delicate, yet driving. Bassist, Mats Eilertsen demonstrates his incredible tone, touch and elegance on the instrument. Being a bass player myself, for me this was the highlight of the composition. What an amazing sound and creative imagery pouring out from his fingers.
“Lay Your Sleeping Head, My Love” introduces the listener to the vocal stylings of Kristin Asbjørnsen for the first time on the album. She has a very rustic sounding voice, with copious amounts of vocal fry, mixed range experimentations and subtle, delicate vibrato. I have never heard a voice so unique, so emotional, captivating and thought provoking. It’s hard to explain in words, you just have to hear it for yourself. Her very individual vocal performance is heightened with the band’s accompaniment. It’s really great to hear Gustavsen’s music with a vocalist. I have been a fan of his instrumental trio albums for many years, and hearing this all too familiar sound with a vocalist is really something special.
“Spiral Song” opens with solo drums, later accompanied by Gustavsen on piano. This composition explores many different textural, timbrel and colourful layers throughout it’s duration. The feel is solid, yet slightly disjointed to my ears. The melody is played in unison (in sections) between Gustavsen and Brunborg on saxophone. The rhythm section lay down a lush bed of percussive ideas, conversations and musical contributions for the ensemble to play off of. Interestingly, the solo section in this piece is more of a collective improvisation, than a series of instrumental solos.
The title track, “Restored, Returned” features once again, the powerful, evocative vocal stylings of Kristin Asbjørnsen. The composition grows from seemingly innocent rubato beginnings; the ensemble giving plenty of room for Asbjørnsen to work her magic. The next section breaks the established rubato mood as time comes in. Asbjørnsen continues to impress with her mature, dynamic vocals. After a short, yet engaging solo by Brunborg, the vocals come back in with aggressive power to take the song out. This is undoubtedly my favourite composition from the release.
“Left Over Lullaby No. 2” is a delicate composition, with three harmonic instruments (piano, voice and bass) playing the melody in unison. Like all of Gustavsen’s compositions on this album, and indeed from his trio albums, his melodies come first, and are always beautifully shaped. The drums come in only after the melody is stated. Following the melody, Brunborg unleashes with another melodic, driving saxophone solo. The song closes the same way it opened, with the piano, bass and vocals playing the closing melody.
“The Swirl/Wrapped in a Yielding Air” is all groove and melody! The groove is lazy and dirty, while the instrumental melody is thematic and memorable. The bass is very much in the front of the ensemble on this tune. Eilertsen’s bass playing is unshakably solid, heavy and driving. His tone is incredible, and his rhythmic ideas are abundant here. I was expecting another instrumental composition here, but was pleasantly surprised when Asbjørnsen started singing. The vocal part features a combination of traditional melodies, and spoken word passages.
“Left Over Lullaby No. 1” continues with the previous melodies and musical ideas established in “Left Over Lullaby No. 2”. To this day, I still don’t quite understand why some musician’s (particularly European musicians) choose to put sectioned compositions such as this one in seemingly illogical orders! Regardless, this track is beautifully played and arranged, and is a great continuation of the Lullaby. Asbjørnsen’s vocals during the instrumental section are spooky and raw. The lyrical vocals, along with the dark piano voicings by Gustavsen create a very disturbing, yet fantastic sound!
The next composition is simply an instrumental version of the lyrical melody from “Left Over Lullaby No. 1”, which to me is more reminiscent of Gustavsen’s trio work. Gustavsen gives Brunborg and Asbjørnsen a break to play, “O Stand, Stand at the Window” as a trio ensemble. The piece opens with solo piano by Gustavsen, which grows and evolves into a subtle and delicate minimalist conversation. Gustavsen’s solo, as always is well thought out, and both musically and emotionally captivating. The rhythm section lay down a sparse bed of minimalist textures and musical undercurrents.
“The Gaze” is one of the more rhythmically oriented compositions on the release. The melody is very dark, and eerie. Starting from small, humble beginnings, the composition unravels and evolves into a (minimalist!) frenzy of ensemble interaction and conversation. The expressive saxophone phrasing from Brunborg brings the composition to life. Brunborg explores different saxophone techniques and articulations to create somewhat tribal sounding screeches from his horn.
The album closes off the same way it opened; with a duo performance, this time featuring Gustavsen and Asbjørnsen. “Left Over Lullaby No. 3” is, of course, the final movement of Gustavsen’s Lullaby Suite. It’s very laid back, soft in dynamics and dreamy; gentle and soothing; an uncompromising performance, void of extraneous notes or musical filler. At the core, this is what Tord Gustavsen’s music is all about; creating the best music possible without compromise.
I have been a Tord Gustavsen Trio fan for the last five years, and this new release has been a real joy to listen to. Gustavsen continues to impress with his unique compositional approach, further strengthened with the addition of the delightful interpretations from both Brunborg and Asbjørnsen. Additionally, his lyrical endeavours have transformed the mounting interest, and musical appeal of these new compositions to a wider audience. This is a wonderful CD, and I highly recommend it to both jazz, non-jazz musicians and musical appreciators.
I gave this album a 9 out of 10. Fantastic.
If you would like to purchase this album, you can find it here:
