(Modern Creative, Improvised Music, Progressive Jazz) [WEB] Eivind Opsvik - Overseas V - 2017, FLAC (tracks), lossless

Brandon Seabrook - electric guitar
Tony Malaby - tenor saxophone
Kenny Wollesen – drums and percussion, rhythm ace drum machine, hand claps
Jacob Sacks – piano, rmi rock-si-chord organ
Eivind Opsvik – double bass, analog bass synthesizer, oberheim drum machine, hand claps

On the fifth album by his long-running band Overseas, bassist Eivind Opsvik—a native of Norway who’s been living in New York for two decades now—tightens up his group’s attack, putting a sly emphasis on groove and demanding concision from his band of top-flight improvisers. In fact, even tenor saxophonist Tony Malaby—one of the most loquacious soloists in jazz—reels it in, frequently adding to the rhythmic fabric as much as he elucidates melody. Although Overseas is most certainly a modern jazz combo, the way the record was mixed and the arrangements often suggest a more rock-oriented sound—the tautness of ‘70s post-punk. In press materials for the record the bassist says, “My music doesn’t really sound like Talking Heads or the B-52s, but I listened to a lot of that on the road lately, so the sound and sensibility seeped into my writing.”
Indeed, from the opening bars of “I’m Up on This Step,” a slithering, funky marvel of polymetric precision, the groove is shaped by a number of overlapping patterns: a jagged guitar line by Brandon Seabrook, a stuttering beat from Kenny Wollesen, interlocked, cascading figures by Malaby and keyboardist Jacob Sacks, and the leader’s pumping pizzicato bass. As the tune hits full steam, it seems to unravel into abstraction, with all of the instruments engaging in a feather-light dance as they slowly disengage. “Extraterrestrial Tantrum” percolates inside an ambient glow, opening with rudimentary drum machine, elegant piano chords, and texture-rich guitar and saxophone tones that coalesce into one lovely cloud of sound, while Opsvik offers plaintive arco sobs, drifting into the din. “Brraps!” deploys a heavy funk vibe, with Seabrook channeling Nile Rodgers while the leader virtually sings with his bow; Malaby and Opsvik eventually trade 12-bar solos, demonstrating the lean efficiency at work throughout. “First Challenge on the Road” shows how the group can do a lot with a little, as the bulk of its substance is a repetitive, motorik coda where the guitarist subtly unleashes a constantly shifting series of galloping chords. The energy and timbre of the music could produce clumsy fusion in the wrong hands, but this band masterfully balances power and subtlety, highlighting its time-tested rapport by shaving away all that’s extraneous.
—Peter Margasak

Eivind Opsvik: Overseas V ****
By TROY COLLINS
March 30, 2017
Norwegian-born bassist Eivind Opsvik has been a mainstay of the Downtown scene since his relocation to New York over two decades ago. Starting in 2003, he began issuing a series of sequentially numbered instrumental albums under the banner Overseas, which have featured some of Gotham's finest musicians. Bolstered by the improvisational mettle of his longstanding bandmates, Opsvik's accessible tunes draw melodic, harmonic and rhythmic inspiration from popular music, rather than traditional jazz.
Overseas V incrementally ups the ante from previous efforts, blending tuneful themes and freewheeling excursions with an increased focus on studio craft. Using overdubbing and remixing, Opsvik's latest batch of songs emulates the ubiquitous nostalgia of '80s New Wave: the brooding basslines of Joy Division; the angular Afro-funk of Talking Heads; and the oblique lyricism of Brian Eno's seminal art rock all factor into his multihued writing.
The current lineup features saxophonist Tony Malaby, guitarist Brandon Seabrook, keyboardist Jacob Sacks and drummer Kenny Wollesen, who curtail their outré tendencies in Opsvik's meticulous compositions, which are written specifically for them. The group cut the session at Manhattan's historic Sear Sound studio, with Opsvik mixing overdubs at his Brooklyn-based Greenwood Underground studio, lending the finished numbers a rare level of sonic detail compared to most conventional jazz recordings.
The nine tracks on the LP-length release run no longer than typical pop songs, necessitating succinct improvisations. Malaby's protean tenor solos are models of concision, Sacks reveals neo-classical influences and Wollesen grooves adroitly, while Seabrook—the wildcard—vacillates wildly between atmospheric ruminations and unfettered shredding. The guitarist's eclectic fretwork is firmly anchored in the present, imbuing the proceedings with a post-rock sensibility.
The album's stylistic diversity is emblematic of Opsvik's catholic taste, whether veering from the lush balladry of "Extraterrestrial Tantrum" to the punk disco hybrid "Brraps!" or the motoric drive of "First Challenge On The Road" to the ethereal tone poem "Shoppers And Pickpockets." Singularly unique, Overseas V is another forward-thinking installment in an oeuvre that transcends the limitations of genre.
Track Listing: I'm Up This Step; Hold Everything; Extraterrestrial Tantrum; Brraps!; Cozy Little Nightmare; First Challenge On The Road; Shoppers And Pickpockets; IZO; Katmania Duskmann.
Personnel: Brandon Seabrook: electric guitar; Tony Malaby: tenor saxophone; Kenny Wollesen: drums and percussion, Rhythm Ace drum machine, handclaps; Jacob Sacks: piano, RMI Rock-Si-Chord; Eivind Opsvik: double bass, analog bass synthesizer, Oberheim drum machine, hand claps.
Year Released: 2017 | Record Label: Loyal Label | Style: Modern Jazz