In Buddhism, hungry ghosts are beings who are tormented by desire that can never be sated. The Segaki (施餓鬼, meaning: feeding the hungry ghosts) is a ritual of Japanese Buddhism, performed to stop the suffering of such restless ghosts. Hungry Ghosts is also the Norwegian-Malaysian trio consisting of Malaysian tenor sax player Yong Yandsen accompanied by the Norwegian powerhouse rhythm section of double bass player Christian Meaas Svendsen and drummer Paal Nilssen-Love.
Segaki is the sophomore album of Hungry Ghosts, following the self-titled album (Nakama, 2019), and was recorded at Alte Gerberei in St. Johann in Tirol, Austria, in 2022, during a European tour of the trio. The album is released after an «extensive two-year long digestive system of listening, mixing, listening, mastering and listening again». Its cover artwork, designed by Svendsen (who also released the album by his label Nakama) is taken from the 12th-century Japanese Scroll of Hungry Ghosts (餓鬼草紙).
From the very first second of the opening piece «In search of filth like vomit and feces to eat» (the titles of the four pieces depict types of hungry ghosts in Buddhist mythology). These Hungry Gohists ensure that everybody knows they are ready to consume everything on their way, with an insatiable, irresistible, manic energy. The trio sounds determined to overcome its unfortunate realm and find release and redemption through hard-hitting free improvisation. But these Hungry Ghosts are smarter and have other, more nuanced yet still powerful means of persuasion, so the trio keeps alternating with other, sparse and lyrical ritualist forms – with Svendsen playing the Japanese shakuhachi (associated with Zen Buddhism) and chanting ancient, mysterious Buddhist spells – before gravitating to its favored brutal attacks.
You can not stand in the way of Yong Yandsen who sounds as if his screaming and whining sax is an extension of his abdomen, or Svendsen who seems to be all over the double bass with unconventional, extended techniques and multiple bows (listen to his introduction to «Mountain Valley Bowels Full Of Grime»), or the unparalleled, volcanic power of Nilssen-Love. Better surrender to the Hungry Ghosts and their stimulating, earth-shaking energy than being dragged into their miserable realm. Such a wise and reasonable choice allows you to sing, dance and groove with the hungry Ghosts.
Eyal Hareuveni
Yong Yandsen (tenor saxophone), Christian Meaas Svendsen (double bass, voice, shakuhachi), Paal Nilssen-Love (drums, percussion)
