This is the description of Allvei I received in the Press Release Pack from publicist 9pr:
With its roots and meaning coming from a specific region on the north-west coast of Norway, Allvei describes an eternity in time, and the endlessness in space. It’s a musical and physical journey that begins deep in the mountains of Norway via Warsaw, Zürich and ends in Kristiania. It’s a fitting name for the trio’s musical experiments, operating in a continuous evolving sonic space.
Spearheaded by Vullum, with his background as a key contributor to the Oslo experimental/electronic scene, Allvei was recorded over two sessions before and after a run of audiovisual shows the trio performed in collaboration with the Polish Visual Artist Katarzyna Dębska in Norway and Poland. Adopting Vullum’s background as a sound designer, the form and shape of the compositions hold a strong influence on the dynamics and the narrative elements in the music.
With the added contribution of Mączyński (Polish) and Stocker (Swiss), the music takes a rhythmic, improvised, and experimental approach, including elements from free jazz, orchestral drone, and harmonic ambient music.“Conceptually, identity has been an important factor, even with a clear foundation around my compositions. This has been a full on collaborative process, more as a hybrid of arranged parts and improvisational freedom between the three of us.”
Eivind Vullum.
It is not until halfway through Almberg that the listener gets to hear anything that resembles jazz music. The opening track is dominated by an otherworldly soundscape over which Vullum, Maczynski, and Nicolas play sparsely delivered notes all of which would not sound out of place on a Ridley Scott sci-fi movie soundtrack. Driva continues in a similar vein with the sonic space playing under a crisp repeating drum pattern from Nicolas. The sax of Maczynski cuts through and provides a nice tonal colouration to the track.
Mariensztat changes direction opening with a reverberating guitar sound, strong pulsing drums, and the occasional input of sax. This number begins with a strength and energy not heard before but as the number progresses it falls back to the soundscape dominance of the previous tracks with only the drums providing any real contrast. There are some good guitar and sax moments in Züri but, for me, they do not do enough to engage the listener throughout the track. And so to the final number of Allvei, Kristiana. This track opens well with sax and drums and there is good variation in sound and dynamics. For me, this is the standout composition with a vibrancy I should have liked to have heard a bit more of across the album.
Allvei is a musical journey that begin in Norway and took in Switzerland and Poland and perhaps it is my lack of knowledge of the route that detracts from what it is the musicians on this album are trying to portray. As an accompanying soundtrack to an art exhibition Allvei would sound terrific because it would have a visual point of reference; as a stand-alone album, for me, it does not quite work – irrespective of how good the musicians who created it are.
Allvei is released 23 October.
Tracklist: 01 – Almberg. 02 – Driva. 03 – Mariensztat. 04 – Züri. 05 – Kristiania.
Musicians: Eivind Vullum (guitar), Jerzy Maczynski (saxophone) Nicolas (drums).
