Arve Henriksen

Chiaroscuro (Rune Grammofon RCD2037, 2004)

Norwegian trumpeter and singer Henriksen has recorded some beautiful explorations of his two instruments, the trumpet in particular revealing tones and timbres more usually associated with the shakuhachi.

This project finds him in a similarly meditative mood in 'live' contexts recorded around Norway in the company of drummer Audun Kleive and sampler Jan Bang. These two add other dimensions to Henriksen's luminous trumpet and startlingly clear vocalizing.

He occasionally sounds like Jon Hassell on 'Bird's Eye View' with its slightly slurred and breathy phrasing. But most often he sounds like no one else but himself. This is evidenced on 'Circled Take' a mostly unaccompanied piece with some embellishments from Bang. Here the trumpet, breath and voice combine giving utterance to a mournful, elegiac sound redolent of the Japanese flute but more eerie and chilling. A fragment of disembodied choir rises spectrally in the background to add further haunted resonance.

A couple of the most moving compositions, 'Chiaro' and 'Blue Silk' feature his voice in all its glorious purity, recorded in some unspecified but acoustically magnificent setting. The spare electronics enhance his faultless delivery, notes falling with clarity, sometimes fragility, against the gently shifting trance of the sampled backdrop. On 'Blue Silk' his trumpet and voice come together in a subtle crystalline duet.

He is clearly taking the art of the trumpet and vocal improvisation into new realms unfolding shimmering colors to draw the listener into hitherto unseen worlds. It must be one of the most refreshing releases of the year [buy this CD].