PoliturPassiarer
Über-percussionist Kleive orchestrates. It’s what he does. Whether playing in an ultra-improvisational duet setting or in tightly and specifically composed pieces for 13 musicians such as on this CD, his four extraordinarily individual and agile limbs create percussive poetry.
This is the second Losen Records release to feature the excellent Scheen Jazzorkester (the first was this year’s Fjon featuring Rune Klakegg). To quote the Scheen Jazzorkester website concerning PoliturPassiarer, “These are very complex works, which make unusual demands on both the rhythmic precision and virtuosity of the band.”
The music is largely scored but there is intermittent space for soloists such as saxophonist André Kassen, heard to such great effect on the recently released Losen Records album, Pomona and veteran Guttorm Guttormsen, also on soprano sax.
Audun has worked with international giants such as Mike Mainieri, Mike Stern, Pat Metheny, Marilyn Mazur, Charles Lloyd, Anders Jormin and home-grown giants such as Arild Andersen, Jon Balke, Jan Gunnar Hoff, Nils Petter Molvær, Terje Rypdal, Jan Bang, Sidsel Endresen, Petter Wettre and Bugge Wesseltoft. Whoever he performs with, Audun Kleive consistently weaves his magic, but there again,as a leader, he does have four wands to wave as opposed to the traditional one.
PoliturPassiarer is impressive, ambitious music, pioneering and peerless.
David Fishel