Anders Lønne Grønseth / Multiverse: Theory of Anything
Pling Music

Interestingly, the material on Theory of Anything, Anders Lønne Grønseth's latest Mutiverse recording, was recorded at the same session as its predecessor. One could be forgiven, however, for thinking that the new set must have been recorded long after the quintet's self-titled 2018 debut, so deeply attuned are the interactions between the five individuals involved. Theory of Anything captures musicians playing at the kind of inordinately high level that typically grows out of weeks and months performing together. (It's not the first time, incidentally, Grønseth's done such a thing: the two albums with his Mini Macro Ensemble also were issued as separate volumes.)

The style of the material Grønseth (saxophones, bass clarinet) performs on the six-track date with trumpeter Hayden Powell, pianist Espen Berg, bassist Audun Ellingsen, and drummer Einar Scheving is very much ‘in the tradition.' Theory of Anything shows, however, that music that embraces the classic acoustic jazz style of the ‘50s and ‘60s needn't by definition sound retrograde; in Grønseth and company's hands, the material is as fresh and vital as anything of a more recent vintage. Of course, the musicians involved bring ample experience to their shared endeavour, all five having made their respective marks on different jazz scenes in Norway and Iceland and performed with outfits such as the Trondheim Jazz Orchestra, Audun Automat, Magic Pocket, and Wolf Valley.

The press release indicates that little or nothing was planned out for the performances, the musicians relying more on spontaneous and intuitive interplay than formally notated material. That said, themes do clearly emerge, suggesting that Grønseth provided melodic and harmonic structures for the musicians to use as guidelines, and while there's a free-floating quality to much of the playing, the title track adheres to classic form by preceding solo-based episodes with a thematic statement and reprise at the end.

The album opens with two ballad performances, an atypical move when many a jazz quintet album begins with something fiery to showcase the players' advanced chops. The decision in this instance dramatically flatters the group in capturing Multiverse's command of languour and in revealing the high order of musicianship in play. After the others establish a relaxed rubato foundation for the intro to “String Landscape,” Powell and Grønseth enter, their horns coiling around one another and joining sweetly in unison expression. Solos are executed with concision, Powell and Berg delivering registers-spanning runs with authority, after which the leader's beautiful ‘post-Coltrane' tenor emerges to deepen the romantic atmosphere with its singing tone. The title track sustains the mood with a sinuous meditation featuring two contrapuntual melodic lines by the horns that's followed by explorations marked by empathetic interplay by all concerned.

“Inflation” tickles the ear with mariachi-styled rhythms and melodic flourishes, Powell showing a natural affinity for the style in his acrobatic declamations and Grønseth opting for a wilder free expression in his solo. While tenor is the leader's favoured axe, he opts for soprano on “Modal Realism,” the choice intensifying the music's sinuous character. More experimental by comparison is “Alternative Timelines (When Henry Met Erik),” in which the ensemble's playing is informed by the leader's own Bitonal Scales concept and the material includes a noticeable (if refracted) allusion to Erik Satie in its see-sawing melody and incorporates a bass ostinato lifted from baroque composer Henry Purcell.

July 2019