Smalltown Supersound
Jaga Jazzist are somewhat of a Norwegian supergroup: a ten-pieceensemble of several multi-instrumentalists including drums andpercussion, guitar, bass, keyboards, horns, woodwinds and tuba, withmembers from Röyksopp, Motorpsycho, Jazzkammer and BigBang. They manageto beautifully combine both modern and progressive jazz with rock andelectronic music for some awe-inspiring compositions. The disc'sopener, "Animal Chin," is a busy blend of live drum 'n bass rhythmswith long-lined Wurlitzer and sax ostinatos under some cool,multi-layered woodwind arrangements that sound like Roni Size jammingwith Oliver Nelson. "Going Down" is driven by some busy, yet subtlejazzy drumming and low-end pedals while some doubled up sax and organlines weave through angular acoustic guitar progressions and space agebachelor pad-type synth and flute flourishes. "Airborne" would be thetune that had me hitting the back button on several listens, not onlyfor its inherent coolness but also for its multiple layers in whichsomething new is heard each time. The tune opens as a tender ballad,with shimmering keyboards and a melodic bass clarinette, graduallybuilding to a scratchy electronic rhythm with upright bass and flutesadding tension until it blasts off into a full-on orchestral climax,complete with wailing sax solo and stabbing strings. "Lithuania" movesfrom a laid back rhythm section, vibes, twangy guitar and severalongoing melodies from the horns and woodwinds to a kicking, double-timesamba feel that lets the orchestration and arrangements really shine.This disc grabbed me right from the first listen with its strongcompositions and unique sound and is yet to let go. The best comparisonin its direction would be in line with what the Cinematic Orchestra aredoing, but on a much broader and larger scale. That in mind, Ninja Tune(the Cinematics label) are set to release this disc which should makeit a little easier to find, even with a different cover. With the yearend fast approaching I'm glad to state that this disc has made my topten.
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