Oddarrang

“In Cinema”

(Edition Records EDN 1046)

Oddarrang are a quintet from Finland led by drummer and composer Olavi Louhivuori. I first heard Louhivuori’s playing in 2009 when he appeared at a memorable concert at The Edge Arts Centre in Much Wenlock as part of Polish trumpeter Tomasz Stanko’s “Nordic Quintet”, a line up documented on Stanko’s ECM album ” Dark Eyes”.

Louhivuori’s compatriot Alexi Tuomarila was the pianist in that quintet and I’ve subsequently seen and heard Louhivuori as a member of Tuomarila’s trio, an all star Scandinavian aggregation that also features Norwegian bassist Mats Eilertsen. The Tuomarila trio are currently signed to Edition Records and recently released the album “Seven Hills”, an excellent label début that is reviewed elsewhere on this site. Louhivuori’s Edition connection also saw him appearing on pianist and label founder Dave Stapleton’s ambitious album “Flight” (2012).
Louhivuori has also worked with Eilertsen’s quartet and as part of an international quartet led by Polish pianist Mira Opalinska. In free jazz circles he has worked with American luminaries of the calibre of multi reeds player Anthony Braxton and pianist Marilyn Crispell.

Louhivuori has recorded with a variety of musicians in his native Finland, among them trumpeter Verneri Pohjola and bassist Antti Lotjonen but it’s Oddarrang that remains his main creative outlet as a composer. “In Cinema” is the group’s third release following 2006’s “Music Illustrated” and the excellent “Cathedral” (2011), the latter reviewed elsewhere on this site.

Oddarrang boast a most unusual instrumental configuration with Louhivuori joined by Osmo Ikkonen (cello, vocals), Lasse Sakara (guitars), Ilmari Pohjola (trombone, guitar) and Lasse Lindgren (bass, synthesisers). With Louhivuri also contributing a variety of keyboards (piano, synthesisers and harmonium) the quintet has a surprisingly broad sonic palette and a highly distinctive sound, in due part to an almost unique combination of instruments with a particular emphasis on the lower registers thanks to the combination of cello and trombone. The subtle use of electronics has invited comparisons with the Icelandic post rock band Sigur Ros plus the usual references to Nordic trailblazers such as Rypdal and Garbarek, Molvaer and Henriksen. Louhivuori has also cited Scotland’s Cinematic Orchestra as a significant influence on his writing and this time round the critics are also referencing film composers, particularly Ennio Morricone.

My review of “Cathedral” referenced the “cinematic” quality of the Oddarrang sound and it came as no surprise to learn that some of the music on “In Cinema” was originally written to accompany a series of short, contemporary silent films, these described variously as “abstract” and “experimental”. Musically the album builds on the success of “Cathedral” as it blends acoustic and electronic sounds to create a rich sonic tapestry, the style of the music ranging from the quiet and introspective to the wide-screen and epic. But behind all the music is that characteristic “Nordic”  melancholy that distinguishes so much Scandinavian music. 

The opening “Introducing…” begins in an atmospheric haze of moody electronica before expanding to embrace a gently loping groove around which the synthesisers continue to swirl. Pohjola’s plangent trombone then takes over, assuming the lead temporarily even though Oddarrang don’t do jazz solos per se . On this richly atmospheric piece we’re finally left with with the lonely sound of Louhivuori’s harmonium.

“Self Portrait” begins with the sound of gorgeous folk like melodies sketched on cello and guitar. Essentially it’s a two part composition which shifts emphasis mid tune with the introduction of Sakara’s ringing acoustic guitar motif which provides the backbone for a stunning wide-screen finale that builds voices and instruments layer by layer to create something awe inspiring and truly epic.

“Missing Tapes from a Highway Set” lasts over ten minutes and offers a fuller illustration of Louhivuori’s way of developing a piece my means of gradually accreting layers to create something stirring and impressive. |However the ultimate mood is of melancholia courtesy of a gently reflective coda.

“The Sage”  is initially centred around Lindgren’s powerful and insistent bass pattern and gives full rein to Sakara’s Frisell like guitar atmospherics. However like the earlier “Self Portrait” it moves gradually through the gears to culminate in a dramatic layered crescendo with Ikonen’s soaring wordless vocals one again a key component.

The elven minute plus “Cultivate & Contemplate” begins with the mournful sound of Pohjola’s lone trombone. Cello and guitar then take over to duet on a melancholy folk inspired melody with bass and drums later joining the equation as the piece develops slowly and atmospherically. As at times on “Cathedral” there’s a strong visual feel about the music which once again conjures up images of tundras and forests and all the other Nordic clichés. But cliché or no it’s still hauntingly effective and chillingly beautiful, a genuinely moving soundscape shaped by Louhivuori’s unique artistic vision.

It’s probably fair to argue that all Louhivuori’s compositions represent journeys of one sort of another, consistently evolving and constantly shifting the emphasis from one instrument to another in a way that always sounds totally natural and organic. Therefore it’s highly appropriate that a second eleven minute voyage of discovery should be titled “The Journey"as pointillist, minimalist inspired guitar and electronica gives way to something more glacially languid. But once again it’s the calm before the storm as the music once more erupts into a now familiar riff driven layered climax with Sakara’s guitar attempting to soar above the thunder generated by the massed instruments and particularly Louhivuori’s drums as the leader finally cuts loose. It’s the most bombastic and grandiose climax thus far and the one most obviously inspired by the world of alt rock.

Following this the closing “Quiet Steps”, written by bassist Lasse Lindgren acts as a kind of epilogue with its gentle, minimalist atmospherics and hymn like coda featuring Pohjola on trombone. 

“In Cinema” is the first Oddarrang album to be widely circulated in the UK and it’s a recording that has attracted a compelling amount of critical acclaim from the British jazz press. However this is music that has the potential to reach beyond the usual jazz generic, there is much here for adventurous rock listeners to enjoy, Radiohead fans in particular take note, although Oddarrang’s music is probably too esoteric to enjoy genuine mass appeal.

It is to be hoped that Oddarrang will visit the UK again in 2014. They made a big impression at the 2012 London Jazz festival and returned for a short UK tour in September 2013. I was extremely disappointed to miss their Cardiff gig due to a family crisis (I’d already sorted out my press tickets through Edition’s Tim Dickeson, sorry to let you down, Tim) so I really do hope they come back again next year. This is a unique band that deserves to be seen and heard.

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