JAN GARBAREK — Visible World (review)

JAN GARBAREK — Visible World album cover

Album · 1996 · World Fusion

3.5/5 · 2011-10-07
Matt

This one when released back in 1996 appealled to the World Music fans just as much as all the Jazz afficiandos which is how I first heard the album "Visible World" being played on a specialist World Music program which is hardly surprising when one looks at the personnel being primarily multi-national percussion members but on the last track we also have Mari Boine on vocal who specialises in her own native Sami music being one of the native people who live within or near the Artic of Northern Scandanavia but Mari Boine is not strictly traditional either but has taken a contempary approach by adding Rock and Jazz elements to her native Sami music and she appears on the album closer only. The percussion members of the band are world renowned with Marilyn Masur providing percussion and drums who is US. born but considered Danish today with drummer Manu Katche' who originally hails from the Ivory Coast but French based and first really got going when he appeared with Peter Gabriel but that list has enlarged quite a degree of who he has accompanied today. Last but not least we also have Trilok Gurtu from India providing Tabla and he could be rated with his experience another percussion "El Supremo" like the other two if not better. They do not appear all together but only on various tracks separately with Marilyn Mazur providing the majority of the drum work. Eberhard Weber is on bass and anybody who listens to European Jazz will know this name and this is album number eight supporting Jan Garbarek for him. Absolutely beautiful player if you have never heard him and he has appeared on many great ECM productions over the years with numerous other artists as well as dabbling with Kate Bush on a regular basis. Another big one from Europe is here too, being Rainer Bruninghaus on piano and synth who has been with Jan as well eight years at this time and a myriad of other artists on the ECM roster including Eberhard as well. The main man Jan Garbarek really needs no introduction but he plays a bit of a mix on this but he still is saxophone primarily with some beautiful soprano solo's and a little tenor but he also has a shot on a Meraaker clarinet ( traditional Norwegian) with the addition of keyboards and percussion.

"Red Wind" the album opener is quite simply beautiful with Marilyn Mazur just using shakers for percussion and the addition of keyboards underneath the soprano sax emnating from Jan Garbarek which just soars throughout the composition hitting the high points like a razor thats just cuts through and it is the case with the following "The Creek" but this time Manu Katche' is drumming and once again Jan Garbarek's soprano saxophone pierces the room with that gorgeous tone and these are my favourite compositions from the album which does cause I feel a problem with both being great numbers maybe it would have been wiser to put one in the middle of the album sequencing. The music is great that follows being Jazz but as the two opening tracks are almost theme based it is difficult to come back down to the following number "The Survivor" with its slow opening spacy opening and although Jan sounds great on tenor things just drop and the album has to work to get back. Still the composition does improve with some very interesting bass provided by Eberhard. The album is comprised of four different projects combined with the majority comprising five compositions being from "Mangas Colarados Suite" concerning the Chiriacahua Apache and Jan really provides a beautiful interruptation as with track four "Healing Wind" which follows. The title "Visible World" has been divided into two sections by opening and closing "Desolate Mountains" parts one and two with "Desolate Mountains" being the best section and Rainer Bruninghaus on piano is superb with Jan on soprano adding a slight touch of Avante but still he brings back that world influence as his notes climb higher throughout in this piece. Also there is a short if you like coda of "Desolate Mountains" again in the album being number three."Pygmy Lullaby", "The Quest" ,"The Arrow" and "The Scythe" follow with "The Arrow" having Jan on Meraaker clarinet and this is another one taken from the Apache Suite as was "The Quest" and again are album highlights. The album closer "Evening Land" is one right out of the gate with Maire Boine bringing that Sami percussion and rythmn with her native vocals throughout this 12 minute piece with Jan Garbarek's soprano wailing all over it with the intensity continually building throughout as the number does come back down towards the end unfortunately.

Soprano saxophone rules here and it is played like nobody else can with that Garbarek slicing tone that pierces beautifully and the addition of the mixed styles of percussion have added great flavour but although there are some stunning compositions with all bar one being written by Jan Garbarek and Maire Boine co -writing the last they don't seem to gel at times throughout the album. Still there are some absolute beauties with track one and two stealing the show literally.