The new quartet Beiggja brings together young Dutch alto and soprano sax player Kika Sprangers (b. 1994, who has duos with Danish guitarist Mikkel Ploug and British pianist Kit Downes) with three experienced Norwegian musicians – pianist Kjetil André Mulelid, double bass player Mats Eilertsen, and drummer Per Oddvar Johansen, for a two-day session in February 2024, outside of Oslo at Johansen’s home studio, nestled in an isolated, deep snowy forest. It was the first meeting of this quartet, as only Eilertsen and Johansen had recorded before with Solveig Slettahjell Slow Motion Orchestra. Morning is the result of this rare meeting.

The four musicians contributed pieces for this intimate and most empathetic session. The interplay felt natural and organic, and highlighted the spontaneous creativity of this quartet and its intuitive curiosity. No take was the same, and each one went in its own unique direction.  The quartet plans to tour Norway and the Netherlands this summer.

Morning offers nine contemplative, highly melodic songs that develop slowly and patiently, stressing each sound as if the whole world depends on it, with a sense of quiet anticipation but with no emotional dramas. The introspective, intimate atmosphere reflected the winter season, and the bright white, quiet stillness of the surrounding landscapes, and the songs sound as if they imagine a quiet walk in these fascinating landscapes. Sprangers’ gentle, ethereal voice fits perfectly into this atmosphere. Johansen’s ballad title piece, Mulelid’s melancholic «Encore», and Sprangers’ meditative «Far» and «Love Cycle» are the highlights of the album.

No idea why the Hubro label chose an urban cover artwork for an album that reflects landscapes that are so far away from populated human centers.

Eyal Hareuveni

Kika Sprangers (alto saxophone, soprano saxophone), Kjetil Mulelid (piano), Mats Eilertsen (double bass), Per Oddvar Johansen (drums)