Arve Henriksen
Chiaroscuro

THE REVIEW

For a few years now, jazz and the Scandinavian musical avant-gardes have aggressively re-emerged on the global scene and have undoubtedly taken a leading role.

I mention re-emerging because the far north of Europe has always been fertile ground for jazz, with Don Cherry above all. Certainly among the most influential figures of this "new movement" is the Norwegian trumpeter Arve Henriksen, who has already been seen with the 'Supersilent' collective or with 'Food'.

This album is the second of his solo production and in my opinion also the best. His trumpet is clearly the absolute protagonist of the album, even when the voice appears, it seems just an ideal and complementary continuation of the sound of his instrument, which discreetly recalls the lesson of Miles Davis and "In A Silent Way", yet with extreme originality and an exceptional sensitivity.

It's hard not to be captivated from the first listen by the sound of the trumpet, which makes you dream and moans, distorts, and then unfolds its wings again. With his precious instrument, Arve Henriksen traces melancholic and velvety melodies, painting delicate and ethereal atmospheres, immersing us in the cold Scandinavian lands.
His rarefied, time-stretched music is exquisite improvisation, a continuous and discreet search, a journey to the world's edges.

Minimalist music, avant-garde jazz music, electronic music that even touches the shores of ambient and new-age (in the good sense of the term, if good can be said of new age, well it was just to give the idea... !), as in the splendid "Bird’s Eye View", among the best of the album along with "Parallel Action" and "Time Lapse".