For some time, and for two released albums, Ballrogg was the name of the duo formed by clarinetist and saxophonist Klaus Ellerhusen Holm (Honest John, Large Unit) and double bassist Roger Arntzen (In the Country, Chrome Hill), identified by a captivating approach which combined an exploration of the influence of Jimmy Giufree and Eric Dolphy’s particular brand of jazz with the kind of non-linear structures patented by the indeterminist new music composer Morton Feldman. Meanwhile, a third element joined the project and things got more complex, and that because Ivar Grydeland (Huntsville, Dans les Arbres) brought with him a strong country & western influence. Pointed out as the Bill Frisell of experimental improvised music, Grydeland’s pedal steel guitar and banjo contributions are key to the “free chamber Americana” now proposed by the group, in a much clearer way than the one played by the Chicago’s band Town & Country. Curiously enough, neither of these musicians are from the United States and the music itself denounces its Scandinavian origin. The ability of the North European scene to reinvent «American classical music» (the label Duke Ellington gave to jazz) and even to reinvent the American folk roots is legendary, and here we have one precious example.
1. Aloft 5:37
2. Bear Down 3:36
3. Abaft 5:42
4. Bosom Barb 6:31
5. Avast 3:05
6. Block and Tackle 7:35
7. Anchor's Aweigh 6:25
Klaus Ellerhusen Holm b-clarinet, bass clarinet, bass amplification
Roger Arntzen double bass
Ivar Grydeland pedal steel guitar, electric guitar, acoustic guitar, banjo, drum machine
All tracks written by Klaus Ellerhusen Holm and arranged by Ballrogg with Ivar Grydeland
Recorded by Morten Qvenild at The Green Room, Nesodden, December 2014 and 2015 | Mixed by Johnny Skalleberg at Amper Tone, June 2016 | Mastered by Giuseppe Ielasi, October 2016
Produced by Klaus Ellerhusen Holm / Roger Arntzen / Ivar Grydeland | Executive producer Pedro Costa | Design by Travassos
