Momentum. Just one word is enough to explain the philosophy of this trio coming from Norway. A musical manifestation of the phenomenon. In the beginning it is sparse, gradually building until it overflows with force, eventually descending into nothing. It’s spontaneous, intuitive, crude, raw and as potent and powerful as it is fleeting and ephemeral.
Each time Jørgen Mathisen, Christian Meaas Svendsen and Andreas Wildhagen play together is different from the previous one and the other following, changing with the circumstances, the states of mind at the time and the ambient of the performance. Only the urgency of the playing has a definitive character. Each gathering of the trio seems to be the last one. More: seems to be the only one ever. Mathisen, Svendsen and Wildhagen play as if they’ve never played before and as if they’re not going to play anymore. They dive in the music with a despoliation and an availability that astonish and snatch us all. These musicians are among the best in the North of Europe since the beginning of the years 2000, and some of the bands they founded or take part in belong now to history, like Shagma, The Core, Zanussi 5 and Mopti. Mathisen’s muscular saxophone style is already legendary, but better than that is his capacity to save detail and nuance from force.
Svendsen is an unavoidable bassist, reuniting old and new techniques (some of his own invention) from jazz and classical music. Wildhagen is capable of responding to any challenge, be it the maintenance of an abstract texture or the sudden design of a steady beat. The sum of all this sounds so good it seems impossible.
1. Gaining 3:59
2. Maintaining 5:34
3. Momentum 20:04
4. Snake Ballad 11:00
Jørgen Mathisen soprano and tenor saxophone
Christian Meaas Svendsen bass
Andreas Wildhagen drums
Track B1 and B2 by CMS, track A1 and B3) by Momentum
Recorded by Hans Andreas Horntveth Jahnsen at Propeller Music Division, Oslo, October 1st 2015 | Mixed by Kyrre Laastad | Mastered by Christian Obermayer
Produced by Andreas Wildhagen | Executive production by Pedro Costa for Trem Azul | Design by Travassos | Photo by Morten Espeland
