Bugge Wesseltoft and Friends - 15/11/08 King's Place, LJF

The UK's Biggest Selling Jazz Magazine

daily news	features	reviews	current issue	shop	instrument reviews
gig guide	video	the player	write stuff	subscribe	contact us

Bugge Wesseltoft and Friends - 15/11/08 King's Place, LJF

Friday, 21 November 2008 12:21

Since the release of his debut New Conception of Jazz in 1997, Bugge Wesseltoft has been synonymous with the development of a cool and sparse sound which shifts and twists between looped acoustic elements and the electronic influences of house and techno. Yet those attending King's Place in expectation of a meditative late-night set may have left disappointed.

Dubbed 'Bugge's Room' after his studio in Oslo, and featuring as part of a Norwegian season of culture, the evening was replete with all manner of microphones, samplers and mixers. Split into three sections, Wesseltoft opened proceedings with a thoughtful piano solo that evoked Bill Evans in its pacing, before channelling its closing refrains through an echo chamber to give the piece with the ache of longing. For the next few songs he delved into the piano, tapping out a rhythm on the frame which he sampled to propel his improvisation; then trapping the strings to mimic the effect of a harpsichord. Ceaselessly tumbling and tweaking the sound through oscillators and filters, Wesseltoft pushed towards the point of dissonance, all the while seeking new spaces and textures.

Following a clever interpretation of 'Take 5', the accomplished drummer and founder of the band Food, Thomas Strønen, took to the stage. Similarly incorporating electronics, Strønen built his sound with care, teasing the audience with adept drops and bleeps, before reeling them into an extended, hypnotic, shower of gamelan notes.

Whilst the programme mentioned some 'surprises', few would have been prepared for the final third from Hild Sofie Tafjord. Playing French horn heavily manipulated through a laptop, Vangelis sweeps quickly gave way to an unrelenting traffic of industrial noise, leading many in the audience to make a premature exit. Unfortunately, such excesses may have tainted the evening's truly innovative ideas, born from a daring spirit that should be applauded.

Review – David Winks

Comments

Only registered users can write comments!