Jaga Jazzist/Britten Sinfonia: Live with Britten Sinfonia

Rating: ★★★★

Record and Artist Details

Musicians:

Even Ormestad (b)
Line Hornveth (tba, fl, perc, glock, v)
Lars Hornveth (g, b clt, ts, fl, keys, lap s
Marcus Forsgren (g, v)
Christian Eggen (cond)
Martin Hornveth (d)
Mathias Eck (t, keys, b, p, vib)
Andreas Mjøs (vb)
Erik Johannessen (tb, v)
Øystein Moden (synth, p)
Britten Sinfonia (cond)

Label:

Ninja Tune

June/2013

Catalogue Number:

ZEN196

RecordDate:

16 June 2012 and 15 September 2012

A quick glance across the personnel above – and the abundance of multi-instrumentalists crammed into unclassifiable Norwegian nine-piece Jaga Jazzist – gives the merest hint of the sonic possibilities they're capable of; but it's live that their vast potential is fully realised. Having witnessed the group at their awe-inspiring performance at London's Scala – two years prior to this epic collaboration with adventurous British contemporary music ensemble the Britten Sinfonia – their collective virtuosity on roughly 30 instruments left many onlookers slack-jawed at just how far they are ahead of almost any group in music today. This gets an almighty steroid injection as they realise their long held ambition to work with an orchestra. Initiated through an introduction by Radio 3 DJ (and long time Norwegian music champion) Fiona Talkington, Jaga bandleader/composer Lars Hornveth created brand new arrangements of their breakthrough 2010 masterpiece, One-Armed Bandit, in turn magnifying his mercurial mix of driving Afrobeat grooves, Wagnerian grandeur, Reich-ian repetitions, swoonsome lap-steel guitar, smart melodic hooks and high-speed jazz improv. Recorded live in London and Oslo, the Britten Sinfonia bring symphonic depth and breadth to these pieces, their sound fully assimilated with the Jaga juggernaught. Trumpeter Mathias Eick (also a solo rising star on ECM, and who doubles up on bass and keys here too) adds his poignant voice to the reflective intro of ‘Banafluer Overalt’, before its thundering Fela-meets-Bond-theme sweeps along with Hornveth's lap-steel keening above frantic drum and bass grooves, chiming vibes and churning strings; stomping oompah brass providing a crushing final riff. Jaga Jazzist were already pushing the possibilities of modern music, and this thrilling live document finds them heading even higher into the stratosphere with the rest of music world trailing in their wake.

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