Ytterlandet

Simple elaborations of what can be done with reeds, percussion and  string instrument connect these European CDs, though the mixed Turkish-Finnish trio on Myth of the Drum take a maximalist approach, while the Scandinavian threesome on 66ͦ° 33’48.7” N is committed to minimalism.  Familiar from his Konstrukt band collaborations with Western creative musicians, Turkish guitarist Umut Çağlar here plays more exotic string instruments, the guembri and kalimba, as well as flutes and ethic reeds gralla, zurna and ney. Finn Jone Takamäki, who plays ney as well as tenor saxophone, shakuhachi and clarinet, has been in bands with Raoul Björkheim; while Turkish drummer Fahrettin Aykut was in the Baba Zula band. Meanwhile Swedish soprano, alto, tenor, baritone saxophonist Sture Ericson has worked with Raymond Strid; Swedish guitarist Henrik Olsson is one-half of the Olsson-Rubin band and Norwegian drummer Håkon Berre has worked with Peter Brötzmann and many others.

A four-section suite, the Çağlar/Aykut/Takamäki session relates more to the Eurasian mixture that characterizes Turkey than more northerly musical currents from Finland. At the same time while the traverse undulations, percussion echoes and string strokes affiliated with the Eastern facing sounds of what was the Ottoman Empire, intense Free Jazz tropes are also in play. Rhythmic continuum is provided by Çağlar’s harsh guembri plucks; drum  paradiddles and ruffs confirm unexpected tempo changes; and Takamäki digging split tones, altissimo squeals and harsh overblowing from his saxophone relate to the freedom expressed by Pharoah Sanders rather than the closed system preferred by the Ottoman sultans or Recep Erdoğan’s quasi-dictatorship in present-day Turkey.

So while ney trills, cymbal clashes and percussion rumbles could relate to adhan suggestions, as well as calming Westernized flute interludes, the more crucial sequences adhere to Free Music. In the penultimate “II” and “IV” sections for instance, there’s space for Aykut’s tom-tom textures and subtle nerve beat pitter patter as well as disconnected bell-tree shakes. Takamäki’s mixture of vibrating split tones and flattement is sometimes intensified with squeaky toy-like doits; while Çağlar spends more time away from the string instruments, seconding  Takamäki’s frequent overblowing with bright, almost piccolo-pitched horn trills. The suite’s distinctive climax arrives just before the conclusion as shamanistic retches and Europeanized gurgles unite with drum pumps and flute warbles to confirm a creative music ferment that reflects both Eastern and Western cultures.

Ytterlandet’s more minimalist approach is attuned towards the string scratching, horn peeping and percussion rebounds of classic European Free Music, with modern Scandinavian mettle and Metal thrown into the mix. So while there are sequences which slide down to barely-there guitar clicks, drum rattles and choked reed burbles “Smälsk” and “Svullrya”, the second and third track reach appropriate levels of Energy Music. On the first, irregular reed honks flutter up the scaler with slurring pitch variations paced by Olsson’s on/off voltage stings and Berre’s ruffs and rumbles. By “Svullrya” the equilateral triangle balance is perfected as Mylar pumps and patterns from the drummer plus whammy bar tremors and string slides from ther guitarist evolve in tandem with Ericson’s reed evolution from whines and croaks to flutter tonguing. This trope that matches guitar flanges, percussion projections and reed scoops continues during the rest of ther session. If any contribution wobbles towards making the connection lopsided, irregular motifs such as crying split tones, string finger popping or drum clatters are allowed space and then integrated into the cohesive narratives. By the concluding “Limingen” these variations confirm that program is open, exploratory, but by definition grounded.

Northern or Southern takes on trio improvisation are equally impressive as these sessions demonstrate.

–Ken Waxman

Track Listing: Myth: 1. Myth of the Drum Part I & II  2. Myth of the Drum Part III & IV  

Personnel: Myth: Jone Takamäki (tenor saxophone, ney, shakuhachi, clarinet); Umut Çağlar (guembri, kalimba, gralla, zurna, ney, flutes) and Fahrettin Aykut (electronic percussion, drums, cymbals)

Track Listing: 66: 1. Korpilombolo 2. Smälsk 3. Svullrya 4. A 5. Nävragöl 6. Limingen

Personnel: 66: Sture Ericson (soprano, alto, tenor, baritone saxophones); Henrik Olsson (guitar) and Håkon Berre  (drums)