Norwegian drummer, electronics player, and composer Terje Evensen’s new album, Reclusive Mountain, offers nomadic, atmospheric pieces rooted in hypnotic grooves, blending modern jazz, ambient textures, and electronics, and reminiscent of the musical landscapes explored by Nils Petter Molvær, who plays on the album. Evensen, who recorded and mixed the album in his Studio AbstractGoat, and released it via his label AbstractGoat, hosts British guitarist Leo Abrahams, bassist Tim Harries, cellist Natalie Rozario, and sax player Julian Argüelles, and French serpent player Michel Godard.
Reclusive Mountain’s five pieces suggest dramatic, nuanced stories, always propelled by a strong sense of exploration and driving rhythmic motion. The opening title piece offers a lyrical atmosphere, stressed by Rozario’s melodic solo. The centerpiece, «Leap Year», is a heartfelt homage to the late British drummer and Evensen’s friend, Martin France (of Spin Marvel, with Molvær, and John Paul Jones of Led Zeppelin, Evensen, and Harries). This piece rides on Evensen’s fragmented electronic pulses, with echoes of 1980s electronic and computer music, in a deep groove that celebrates France’s free spirit and beautifully transforms memory into movement.
«Moody Zoo» shifts the mood into a colorful, cinematic soundscape that swings between urban images and imaginary space-age broadcast, which feels both familiar and slightly strange. «Red Dot» was conceived following Evensen’s collaboration with Peruvian musicians and is grounded by a physical pulse, embraced by subtle electronic layers. The closing piece, «Glimpse of Closeness», suggests a meditative, almost hymn-like atmosphere, emphasized by Godard’s timeless and deeply expressive, breath-rich serpent voice, contrasted by Harries’ restless bass and Evensen’s electronics, who deepen its vulnerable, melancholic spirit. An impressive conclusion to an expansive and emotional sonic journey
Eyal Hareyveni
Nils Petter Molvær (trumpet), Leo Abrahams (guitar), Tim Harries (electric bass, double bass), Natalie Rozario (cello), Michel Godard (serpent), Julian Argüelles (saxophone), Terje Evensen (drums, electronics)
