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Since his departure Haaker Flaten has released music pretty steadily, beginning with The Year of the Boar (Jazzland), from the quintet he formed with Chicagoans Jeff Parker, Frank Rosaly, and Dave Rempis–the fifth member, violinist Ola Kvernberg, was a holdover from the Oslo version of the group. Cut live during a European tour in 2007, it makes clear that Haaker Flaten shares a key quality with his Chicago counterparts–driving, insatiable energy. His compositions are typically packed with two or three discrete episodes, and most of the time he opts for muscular passages that stomp rather than swing–though his occasional explorations of space and calm, like a bit in “90/94” where Parker toys with texture and color, are satisfying too.
Trinity is, oddly enough, a quartet with Haaker Flaten on bass, but this band traverses much different territory. Breaking the Mold (Clean Feed), recorded live at the Molde Jazz Festival in 2006, is an all-improvised set that mixes spacey contemplation with emotionally charged outbursts. Saxophonist Kjetil Møster (the Core) can blow free with the best of them, but he exercises a lot of restraint here, creating ambience at least as often as he knocks down walls. Drummer Thomas Strønen (Humcrush) has great timing, but he’s generally more interested in color, and he frequently turns to hydroplaning cymbal bowing or gentle pattering instead of steady timekeeping. Keyboardist Morten Qvenild (In the Country) might be the driving force by default–it’s his electronic keyboard that tends to determine whether the music switches into celestial mode or stays rooted in hard-charging fusion.
The Voices of Panola Co., Mississippi, Como Now (Daptone)Briggan Krauss’ H-Alpha, Red Sphere (Skirl)Lily Allen, It’s Not Me, It’s You (Capitol)Dan Tyminski, Wheels (Rounder)Toshi Ichiyanagi, Electronic Field (Omega Point)
