Moshkiae
TERJE RYPDAL and DAVID DARLING EOS - 1984
This album, is very special ... though I think some folks might not like the first piece, that kinda gives you some idea of ... NOTHING LIKE THE REST OF THE ALBUM ... you get the thought that this might be the ending of a rock piece on stage .... you blow the folks out!
And then, we get blown out, very differently! The title piece is next and right away you know ... that this is far out and special, if it continues ... and while not giving it away, yes it does continue, and it should considered one of the best "chamber music" albums EVER done ... even though "chamber music" is not (usually) electric, this time, the guitar has some effects, as does the bass that David Darling plays, and the feeling and expression and togetherness in bringing these to you, is not only far out ... it is amazing, and superb.
When I first heard this, some 35 years ago, the first thing I thought was ... WOW ... this is by very far one of my special ECM albums, and with one other (Egberto Gismonti's No Caipira), these two are the most amazing and special things that you will likely ever hear ... I would love to be in the audience and hear these two play some of these things ... the development of the pieces and the sound, is extraordinary, and if there is to be a definition of "modern" chamber music, I have never heard another one as good and as special as this album is.
EOS, the title piece, is, maybe, a very ambient piece, and perhaps a very dreamy thing that takes you away quickly ... and when Terje hits his spot up higher, all you can say is ... wow ... that's neat! And perhaps the greatest part of it, is that they are not in a hurry, and take their time with the flow of the piece, which is something that is very clear on the other pieces on the album. You don't feel like there is too much of this or that ... instead you want to find out where this is going ... which is even more exciting, as you sit and hear it ... I kinda call it a dance for the universe ... a truly beautiful expression.
I, in general, do not like what is known and called "solos", specially on some instruments, when the whole thought and idea is really about note and chord abuse, a lot more than it is about how it feels and works ... if one wants to fly, the "solo" can not be mechanical ... it has to surprise you, and this is something that we fist heard bits and pieces of by Jimi Hendrix ... and hearing Terje Rypdal do this many years later, is sad ... because it makes me wonder what Jimi would do ... I seriously doubt that he would remain in the "blues" and the easier stuff out there ... his touch was beyond a lot of music, and not something that can be exactly taught ... and hearing Terje Rypdal do this, makes one wonder, how he originally saw this and came to it ... and we can go back to some of his earlier stuff and his "third stream" moments with ODYSSEY ... but we know he came from a musical family (classical) ... and I get the feeling that he made a call to not be "mechanical" like so many classical music players, in so many orchestras and bands.
BEDTIME STORY, is one of those things that cries visual .. you can just about see a child falling asleep as you play along ... imagining how you feel about it, and appreciating the young person ... and you make it sound like a lullaby to help the child fall asleep. Not sure there is any other way to describe this at all ... a superb touch throughout the whole piece ... as you try to feel out what your feelings are ... and so well described in this piece. It leaves no doubt, as to what this is about and how we feel about it ... a rare touch ... very rare touch and so beautiful ... something that we never imagined in a "solo" in any rock or jazz piece. This defies description ... I call it movie music!
LIGHT YEARS ... and MELODY, the next pieces, are a bit different, though the chamber design is still there, but it has a more modern and classical side to it, specially for David Darling.
Perhaps the best thing in this album, is that it is not trying to be jazz, rock, or anything else, except some visual/movie like music within a "chamber" style of music, that is often about the quietness and its presentation, and not the notes, or the virtuosity of the players ... and this has a tendency to bring up for our minds, what it is that we like in music ... for me, it is "the movie" and music that is free to express itself (ie. without a high school drummer, or not trying to sound like anyone else!)
MIRAGE, is very much that ... I kinda thought that it was looking for somewhere to go, and it appears that it did not matter where it went ... after all, that is the nature of a mirage ... a fleeting thought of something we might have seen, but seems like it was not there.
ADAGIETTO is the one piece that is likely to get our attention the most ... when Terje Rypdal hits the high notes, and then floats out of them, can't even say falls out of them, this piece just sits in your heart ... a soft piece, so soothe and enjoy ... all you can really do, and need here, is to close your eyes, and enjoy it all ...
One of the best albums EVER, in my book, original and special, and (sadly enough!!!) not well known in terms of a Terje Rypdal listing ... of all the albums of his I have, this one is the one I always remember when wanting to listen to some Terje Rypdal ... it's beauty is too much ... and all you can do is lay down, and likely fall asleep ... that's how soothing and quiet this album is, which makes that opening piece an eye opener, and a fun way to say ... this is not a rock solo and loud noise! And while it makes sense, in a way, sadly it probably turns off many folks, though I think this was intentional in order to get the attention they needed and wanted for this wonderful work ... there aren't many albums that live so far, and well.
5 GIBLOONS
