Release Date: 18 October 2010
Label: ECM Records
Packaging Type: Jewel Case
No of Units: 1
Barcode: 602527432274
Genres: Jazz
Description
Trygve Seim's sixth ECM recording as leader or co-leader, subtitled "Songs for saxophone and piano", is an intensely melodic album providing overdue documentation of a duo that already has a 14-year history. His partner here is fellow Norwegian, keyboard player Andreas Utnem. The disc quietly covers a lot of ground, with repertoire including new musical settings of parts of the Mass, folk songs, theatre music, improvisations, and a new version of Seim's softly-breathing meditation "Bhavana" (first heard on 'Different Rivers').
In the mid-1990s pianist-composer Andreas Utnem, working with Norway's Church City Mission foundation, invited saxophonist Seim to join him for selected church services, improvising around variations on the psalms and playing compositions by both. This developed into an informal regular 'gig' and in 2008 the players decided to record the special music they had shaped along the way. 'Purcor' was recorded at Tøyen Kirke, a church in the older part of Oslo.
From disc to disc, Seim's scope as an improviser is expanding. His saxophone ballad playing now has a tenderness and depth of feeling that has drawn comparisons with Ben Webster - although he is quick to point out that Purcor is not really a "jazz" album: "Andreas's background is quite different from my own, but there is something about his composing that brings out a 'focussing' quality in my playing. Over time we've arrived at a special simplicity and clarity in the music." Andreas Utnem has recently begun to receive international attention through his work with the trio of Norwegian folk fiddler Gjermund Larsen.
Personnel: Trygve Seim (tenor and soprano saxophones), Andreas Utnem (piano, harmonium)
Tracklisting
Estonian National Symphony Orchestra; German Hornsound; Olari Elts
Bennie Maupin; Herbie Hancock; Buster Williams; Frederick Waits; Billy Hart; Bill Summers; Charles
Arve Henriksen; Trygve Seim; Anders Jormin; Markku Ounaskari
Joe Lovano; Marcin Wasilewski Trio
Chick Corea
Savina Yannatou; Primavera en Salonico; Lamia Bedioui
Vijay Iyer; Wadada Leo Smith
Anouar Brahem; Anja Lechner; Django Bates; Dave Holland
Trygve Seim & Andreas Utnem
Trygve Seim & Andreas Utnem
