Moshkiae Third Stream, or jazz and classical music ... The combination of these events is ... up to interpretation, but generally there are jazz folks that are playing with a symphony orchestra. The end result is something that was considered new by Gunther Schuller, around the late 1950's, and something that helped add to the listening palette all around, and specially important for jazz folks, who for a long time were keen on making sure that jazz got a leg up on music, instead of it being just some pop kind of music.

Modern music came about for its ability to free form and try to break the shackles of the rigidity of a lot of classical music and scores. Jazz was, originally, a title that was given to music that had more freedom, and was not considered classical, or important, because of the personal style in the music. One could say, that classical music tends to diminish the individuality in favor of an idea about the music ... jazz is almost totally opposite that since it is usual, for anyone to think up ideas about what the music is, or represents ... I like to suggest it is like the wind ... it's just the wind ... and we don't define it beyond that!

Terje Rypdal, at least for the work he did on "ODYSSEY", (not based on stories btw), is Terje's personal experience. To be more accurate, to hear his guitar experimenting on top of music, that had some jazz leanings, but in many ways, sounds different, even allowing us to think that this might be a riff for a pop song ... and here, we get surprised ... it doesn't break into a "song" ... it continues allowing the guitar its freedom.

Terje Rypdal was doing this some 15 years after that idea was defined, and it is possible/likely that he might have perfected it better, even though one got the notion that it was strictly an improvisation from beginning to the end, which is not something that we worry about in the jazz culture at all. When hearing "ODYSSEY", it does not feel like something new is being tried out, although it is possible that Manfred Eicher (ECM RECORDS) probably thought this was far out and specially different from what he was doing with his label, that was infused with a lot of experiments at the time, many of which fit the European styles of music adventures ... with a large history of classical music, the evolution of jazz was very natural in Europe, whereas in America it was more individual and solo related, and not close to anything considered classical until later. And then, in America, we get someone going a hundred percent against the norm, and the pattern in America ... we got Miles Davis who blew out the house, and likely cleaned up his free form in Europe, where he knew he could do anything he wanted.

ODYSSEY is a wonderful album, but something that might take some good ear tuning to be appreciated. The only thing that is clear, and easier to pick up, is that everything in this album is but a background to what Terje Rypdal will do with his guitar, or any other instrument. Terje is joined by a strong organ (Brynjulf Blix) player, and a bass guitar (Sveinung Hovensjo) and drums (Svein Christiansen) and occasionally a trombone (Tornbjorn Sunde).

It is an interesting touch ... the background is a quiet, meditative like sound, that contrasts the guitar really well, but the surprise is that ... it works ... it doesn't sound odd or out of place, and the pieces are very nice and enjoyable, even though some folks are going to say this is not exactly jazz, though the background certainly is ... and you almost could say that Terje Rypdal is doing a really good impression of Miles Davis with a totally different instrument, but no less expressive in any way at all.

And this album is his 6th ... which would suggest that Terje is very comfortable with what he did, though I can not say (and will check it out) his earlier material.

The special pieces here are the long ones ... Midnight, Adagio and Fare Well, all stand out a lot. A later release had another long piece ... Rolling Stone which was even longer and I believe it was on the LP when it first came out as a double, though not on the first CD released in 1988.

A very special album, and in many ways, I would even suggest a must have in one's jazz collection, specially as the mix of classical and jazz was not as visible at the time of its release.

Outstanding album. A must have for folks that are jazz'd out there! Think of Miles on electric guitar ... and then close your eyes while listening!

Sean Trane Terje’s continuing adventures with ECM were beginning to transform in a love affair, to the point that Manfred allowed Rypdal to release a double disc affair, which I believe in 75 was the label’s first. This album features the usual “Rypdal Norwegian Whale-fishing crew” suspects, despite the strange choice of a trombonist as the unique horn player, outside of the master’s own sax twiddlings. Apparently the remaster of this album lists also a French horn player as well, and this could be explained that he only appeared on side 4 of the album, which is not on the first CD reissue. Oh BTW, the album’s name has nothing to do with mythology, so if you’re into concept album, you’ll be disappointed.

Anyway, we’re facing a relatively quiet album, with plenty of atmospheric moments, most of it created by Blix’s organ (no other Kb played), but also Terje’s strident and aerial guitar wails. Indeed, by the time of this album’s release, Terje was fine-tuning his typical guitar style (well somewhere between Oldfield and Hackett), and he’ll have plenty of time to achieve it over the course of these two discs. Lengthy and gliding tracks like Midnite, Adagio, Fare Well are just excuses to allow Terje to wail, soar, reign, dominate his team-mates heads and shoulders. Actually, when not on his guitar, Rypda is laying out some synth layers from his String Ensemble rig, but he’s not a Tangerine Dream member, and there are way too many useless meanders and other lengths (thinking of Adagio amongst other), and the whole thing is uneventful. One could call this album “new age” if the term had been coined much sooner, so I suppose that many described it as cosmic or spacey, which I think might be a tad misleading, partly because of Rypdal’s guitar sometimes leaving its annoying aerial wails to come down and growl a bit in the lower registers, like in my album-fave Better Off Without You, and Birkerot, where he really unleashes. Fare Well is actually quite annoying, because Terje’s strident guitars are really aggravating and irritating to my left ear, and switching channel speakers won’t help, because after two minutes, the right ear is sore. Ballade is self-explanatory and boring except maybe for Terje’s guitar growls when it doesn’t soar searingly.

A rare double ECM album, but given the result, no wonder Manfred didn’t release that many more and its CD reissue has been shortened by the D-sidelong Rolling Stone track; which by its name, might have been the rockier or energetic track of the album. Never heard it, though. This is the kind of ECM album that you can feel glad it has an end and relief comes once it stops spinning or by pushing the eject button. Definitely not my cup of tea, outside two or three (shorter) tracks.