JONAS CAMBIEN — Maca Conu (review)

JONAS CAMBIEN — Maca Conu album cover Album · 2024 · 21st Century Modern Buy this album from MMA partners
3.5/5 ·
snobb
Belgium-born Norway-based pianist Jonas Cambien new album's cover art doesn't proclaim there is any jazz inside. The ceramic(?) pig's figure is too quirky even for Pink Floyd's Animals, but probably it would fit well for a post-70s punk band's release. Than yes, the music inside "Maca Canu" is not your father's jazz for sure.

Leading a Nordic quartet with renown bassist Ingebrigt Håker Flaten on board (who occasionally plays Minimoog as well), Jonas offers an exotic mix of contemporary composition and Scandinavian free jazz, sounding very often as a soundtrack to Tim Burton's upcoming weird movie.

Cambien him self plays piano and a vintage Ace Tone Top 5 compact organ from the 60s. Usually a cheesy sound source, popular in school bands, Ace Tone Top 5 sounds quite surreal on the back of the dry repetitive rhythm section's beat. Camdien's piano recalls a mechanical piano sound accompanying silent movies, even reeds sounds angular, cartoonish.

Cambien's regular collaborator, Signe Emmeluth, adds some free solos here and there and surprisingly enough it's his sax that is responsible for the warmness and vivacity elements of a generally mechanistic music album.

"Maca Conu"(it's not only an album's title, but Cambien new band's name as well, whatever it means) is quite unusual and stand-alone music, which probably is more interesting than attractive. It obviously differs from many other contemporary avant-garde jazz releases, even if this album probably isn't the one you will listen to very often.
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