Mats Eilertsen: Hymn For Hope
Hemli

Mats Eilertsen: Solitude Central
Hemli

Mats Eilertsen often strikes me as Norway's answer to Dave Holland. Like his esteemed counterpart, the in-demand, Trondheim-born bassist (b. 1975) is not only a musician of consummate taste and skill but also a distinguished composer and bandleader. He's contributed to 100 or so recordings and issued many under his own name in various ensemble configurations. Recent releases include the 2019 trio set And Then Comes the Night (ECM), which was awarded the Spellemannprisen (Norwegian Grammy) for Best Jazz Album in 2020, and Reveries and Revelations (Hubro, 2019). Every album's better for Eilertsen being on it.

Also similar to Holland, Eilertsen's got his own label, with two very different recordings launching Hemli promisingly. Recorded live in Oslo in March 2020 just after the pandemic shut things down, Solitude Central features him alone for a half-hour presentation of double bass artistry; Hymn For Hope, on the other hand, is a splendid quartet collection recorded in Oslo last December that's encompassing stylistically and at nearly eighty minutes long enough to merit a double-album vinyl format.

With Eilertsen joined by tenor saxophonist Tore Brunborg, guitarist Thomas T Dahl, and drummer Hans Hulbækmo, the thirteen tracks (one hidden) were all composed by the bassist but for a few improvs and function as a rewarding portrait of Eilertsen circa 2021. The playing's stellar, and the album's not without surprises, among them the muscular rock treatment given “X.” The leader's his usual stellar self, and his partners acquit themselves solidly too; all three are versatile, responsive, and quick on their feet. Brunborg can play at a hush but also roar when the material demands it, and Dahl, playing electric and other guitars, excels at both enhancing the music with textural shadings and asserting himself vigorously (see his scalding solo in “K,” for example). Hulbækmo's as much imaginative colourist as solid rhythm partner to the bassist.

His composer chops are well-accounted for in the haunting opener “Little Thug,” with the quartet's focus more on voicing its folk-tinged melodies than soloing, and “M,” which instantly appeals for its singing main theme. Memorable too is the poignant meditation “Hymn for Hope,” whose stately melodies could conceivably have been written by Jan Garbarek. The quartet can play with dignified calm but also bring the heat, as shown by the at-times volcanic playing on “August,” at ten minutes the album's longest and most explorative track. True to his nature, the bassist doesn't dominate as a soloist, though he does take a turn or two (see his extended solo intro to the Indian-styled meditation “Sunday”). However much the music takes free flight, Eilertsen's always there to anchor it with poise and purpose.

Though a recording of solo double bass might not have the broad appeal of an ensemble release, there's much to recommend Solitude Central. In featuring Eilertsen alone, it affords an up-close appreciation of his playing; it's also fascinating, however, for how effectively electronics are used to build the arrangements into multi-layered form. Solitude Central is a solo recording in the truest sense, as it wasn't performed in front of a live audience but via video streaming. It's indexed in six parts with opening and closing sections neatly framing four “Solitude” variations.

October 2021