Even before you insert the CD Now Is into the disk drive, simply reading the roster of musicians on the back cover is enough to inspire joy. Ingebrigt Håker-Flaten on bass, Joe McPhee on tenor, Joe Morris on guitar, and Nate Wooley on trumpet — it's like one of those Dream Teams in sports where all your favorite players appear together. And when you do finally press "Play," there's the music itself, which lives up to the expectations inherent in such a formidable lineup.
Now Is was recorded in summer 2011 at The Stone, the revered venue located in Manhattan's Lower East Side; the evening of music was curated by Clean Feed, the adventurous Portuguese label that's been documenting the contemporary jazz scene for over a decade now. The CD is 39 minutes of sumptuous sound, the eight tunes working together to create an impromptu suite. Some of the songs are spacious aural haiku, and others are more of a spirited cacophony fest. An example of the former is "Times," an impressionistic, airy tune, full of pretty sonic abstracts and colorful runs and accents. McPhee and Wooley provide shapely wiggles, with Flaten and Morris offering entrancing, thoughtful stringwork. "As If" manages to be both spacious and bluesy; given McPhee's deeply emotive playing and Flaten's connection with Chicago musicians, this blending feels perfectly natural. There's also a lengthy Morris solo, which displays his gift for choosing tasteful notes that surprise and delight.
And strangely enough, sport teams do appear on the CD, namely through a few playful song titles that reference New York teams: "Knicks," "Giants," and "Rangers." The latter song is a gem, a joyful explosion of noise full of rich splutterings and upside-down motifs. This music dances on space, buoyant and shapely and full of spirit. "Knicks" is likewise compelling, starting out with some intergalactic sputtering by McPhee, a quivering and quaking that's bolstered by Flaten's thumpings and Wooley's speeding vibrato.
It's exciting to witness Flaten and his many projects; he's like a meteor burning bright across the international jazz scene, enlivening everything he passes through. The music is lucky to have such a full-bodied performer — versatile, bursting with ideas, and always generous with his sidemen. He's also part of the American-Scandinavian jazz continuum, a deep-rooted phenomenon that's been going both ways across the Atlantic since the late forties when Swedish trumpeter Rolf Ericson moved to New York City and joined forces with Charlie Barnet and Woody Herman. Flaten is creating a beautiful synthesis, a Scandi-bluesy-avant fusion that's fresh, original, and always welcome.
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