ARVE HENRIKSEN — Cartography (review)

ARVE HENRIKSEN — Cartography album cover Album · 2008 · World Fusion Buy this album from MMA partners
2.5/5 ·
snobb
Norwegian trumpeter Arve Henriksen is possibly best known as a member of Supersilent or collaborator with David Sylvian, but he also regularly releases solo albums as well. "Cartography" is his fourth solo album and ECM debut.

Arve's main musical influences are obviously Jon Hassell and Nils Petter Molvaer. Being a fan of Japanese minimalist reeds music, Henriksen combines aerial and very earthly (ecological?) atmospheres with lots of ascetic electronic loops, effects and sounds providing a dark ambient mix on the border between intellectual new age and world fusion.

This album was recorded in three years, consequently none of the songs contain the same line up. Looking on the list one can find a lot of leading Nordic artists (such as bassist Lars Danielsson, guitarist Eivind Aarset, drummer Audun Kleive, electronic gurus Jan Bang and Erik Honoré) who collaborated on this recording. The other known name is David Sylvian.

The music itself is a question of taste. With all my love for Molvaer's early music, I can hardly stand more modern versions of it without dynamics and as a rule, no rhythms. Arve's trumpet sound is very "Zen" and the ambient electronic background doesn't help much. This is still better than your casual new age recording, but this music obviously lacks flesh and blood.

Verdict: new age for intellectuals (if they listen to new age).
Share this review

Review Comments

Post a public comment below | Send private message to the reviewer
Please login to post a shout
No shouts posted yet. Be the first member to do so above!

JMA TOP 5 Jazz ALBUMS

Rating by members, ranked by custom algorithm
Albums with 30 ratings and more
A Love Supreme Post Bop
JOHN COLTRANE
Buy this album from our partners
Kind of Blue Cool Jazz
MILES DAVIS
Buy this album from our partners
The Black Saint and the Sinner Lady Progressive Big Band
CHARLES MINGUS
Buy this album from our partners
Blue Train Hard Bop
JOHN COLTRANE
Buy this album from our partners
My Favorite Things Hard Bop
JOHN COLTRANE
Buy this album from our partners

New Jazz Artists

New Jazz Releases

Rewilder 21st Century Modern
BORDERLANDS TRIO
Buy this album from MMA partners
Tributes Post Bop
ANTONIO FARAÒ
Buy this album from MMA partners
A Study (In The Key Of Now) Third Stream
ROBERT MITCHELL
Buy this album from MMA partners
More new releases

New Jazz Online Videos

Stablemates
RON BLAKE
js· 1 day ago
Critique of Swing in Two Parts, Pt. 1
PIOTR ORZECHOWSKI (PIANOHOOLIGAN)
js· 1 day ago
Lift
DAVE WILSON (US/NZ)
js· 4 days ago
Nature is a Mother
CHARLIE PYNE
js· 4 days ago
More videos

New JMA Jazz Forum Topics

More in the forums

New Site interactions

More...

Latest Jazz News

members-submitted

More in the forums

Social Media

Follow us