BBC Review
Guitarist Rypdal pays tribute to Miles Davis' 'Bitches Brew' with some of his heavy...
Peter Marsh2002
Back in 2003 Terje Rypdal assembled an all-star cast of Scandinavian jazz talent (including Jon Christensen, Bugge Wesseltoft, Palle Mikkelborg and Supersilent's Ståle Storløkken)to pay tribute to Miles Davis' electric period at the Vossa jazz festival. Vossabrygg (or Vossabrew) is the result.
The ensemble coast through open, funky improvisations to luscious atmospheric ballads and electronic noodling. Everyone gets solo space, though it's the leader's sky-kissing guitar and Mikkelborg's luscious trumpet that stand out most.
Devotees of Rypdal's 70s work will find much to admire, providing they can put up with the tediously frequent bursts of lumpen drum loops and samples from Rypdal's son Marius. Their presence push Vossabrygg towards the category of 'curate's egg', but it's still one worth cracking open.
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