I Would Have Made It Karl Bjorå

• 1 I Would Have Made It 04:01
• 2 Don't Look Down 04:51
• 3 We're All Small and Stupid 05:49
• 4 Bang Bang 04:04
• 5 Somewhere You Made a Choice 05:37
• 6 Every Step You Take Is Forever 04:59
• 7 Spice 02:52
• 8 Let's Just Try 03:08
• 9 The Cradle 04:47
• 10 When a Gift Is Not a Gift 05:00
• Total Runtime 45:08

Info zu I Would Have Made It

Karl Bjorå's Jazzland Recordings debut, "I Would Have Made It", is his third release under his own name, and it displays both his maturity as an artist and composer, yet retains his endlessly playful nature, embracing unlikely combinations of tones and textures, styles and rhythms. His music has always been an interweaving of styles, with varying degrees of perceived and actual complexity, and here on "I Would Have Made It" that unique approach is on full display. As a bandleader, Bjorå is exactly that - he leads the band, but rarely is the central focus, instead offering full space to play to an ensemble made up of some of the finest emergent musical voices in the Norwegian scene. The result is an album where the compositions and collective musicianship are at the forefront, with Bjorå acting as both participant and curator.

As with his previous albums, a high degree of experimental and non-standard tones and textures are utilised yet are meticulously integrated into a unified whole - so much so that, apart from occasional moments, the experimentalism is almost invisible to the untrained ear. Bjorå's guitar, in particular, undergoes countless metamorphoses throughout the course of the album, ranging from glam rock fuzz to Zoot Horn Rollo-like slide, from West African kora to unbridled noise generator, through to ambient textures that swirl or pulse incessantly. The organic growth of the music incorporates these diverse approaches, so that moods can shift from swampy blues to stumbling hazy indie rock, from psychedelic jazz to solemn folk hymns, township jive to shoegaze, as well as flickers and flashes of other diverse genres, all permeated by a jazz improvisational spirit. The internal tensions and contrasts within each composition create an entirely new and unique soundworld.

For example, on "We're All Small and Stupid", the structure is suggestive of a Buckminster Fuller geodesic dome built around a medieval church, as the hardanger fiddles of Tuva Syvertsen and Selma French are enveloped by a combination of West African groove and Zappa-esque flourishes. In stark contrast is the cover of “Bang Bang (My Baby Shot Me Down)” by Sonny Bono, originally performed by Cher. The cover is direct, reverent, and retains much of the feeling of the original, while somehow managing to sound like it not only belongs among the other compositions but could not belong anywhere else. As such, it demonstrates the applicability of Bjorå’s musical approach to almost any material.

The album’s addition of vocals from both the fiddle players and Karoline Wallace expands the musical palette considerably, but also further humanises the sound and deftly accentuates the melodic elements. The rhythm section of Andreas Winther (Drums) and Bárður Reinert Poulsen (bass) has been an integral part of Bjorå's solo work, and once again demonstrates its ability to adapt to any sonic environment. Signe Emmeluth (saxophone/flute) and Kalle Nyberg (saxophone) bring reedy resonance, along with some superb soloing. Håvard Aufles's synth alternates between stating melody and wandering the spaces between the other players, while Vegard Lien Bjerkan's piano adds depth through tasteful comping and sparkling flourishes. While the presence of each musician is apparent, when listening, it is the music as a whole that one hears, not its constituent parts. The music is unmistakeably that of Karl Bjorå and consolidates his progress to date in creating a singular musical identity.

Karl Bjorå, guitars, banjo, synthesizer, vocals
Karoline Wallace, vocals
Tuva Syvertsen, Hardanger fiddle, violin, vocals
Selma French, Hardanger fiddle, Violin, vocals
Signe Emmeluth, saxophone, flute
Vegard Lien Bjerkan, piano, banjo, synthesizer
Håvard Aufles, synthesizer
Bárður Reinert Poulsen, bass
Andreas Winther, drums

Karl Bjorå
is a Norwegian guitarist and composer living in Oslo (NO). Bjorå has marked himself as a strong voice in the Norwegian and European scene for jazz and improvised music through his playing and composing. He plays a central part in bands such as Emmeluth’s Amoeba (Signe Emmeluth, Ole Mofjell and Christian Balvig), Megalodon Collective (Norwegian Grammy nominated 2016 & and winner of the Young Jazz Musicians 2016), Yes Deer (Anders Vestergaard and Signe Dahlgreen) and OWL (duo with Signe Emmeluth). He has also collaborated with artists such as Balazs Pandi, Linda Sharrock and Klaus Holm.

"He appears as a melodist of rank, and a sound decorator who knows how to organize strange instrument combinations" - Audun Vinger, Jazznytt

"He deconstructs the image of the guitarist as self-indulgent centerpiece and acrobat" - Arild R. Andersen, Aftenposten

Dieses Album enthält kein Booklet