Evig liv, perfekt orden (Eternal life, perfect order) is the seventh album of the Norwegian acoustic jazz quartet Wako, following the previous album of the quartet Ut av det nye (Out of the new, Øra Fonogram, 2022), which linked order and chaos, dissonance and consonance, light and shadow, and other forms of madness and harmony in Wako’s unique melodic way.
Wako’s four young and gifted musicians, all in their mid-thirties – main composer, alto and soprano sax player Martin Myhre Olsen, pianist Kjetil André Mulelid, double bass player Bárður Reinert Poulsen and drummer Simon Olderskog Albertsen – have been working since 2015. All are busy musicians who play in local bands like Espen Berg Trio (Poulsen, Albertsen) and Flukten (Poulsen), Megalodon Collective (Olsen), Hegge (Olsen, Albertsen) and the Kjetil Mulelid Trio and Siril Malmedal Hauge duo with Mulelid. The new album was recorded at Flerbruket in Hemnes and Ampertone in Oslo in September and October 2023.
Evig liv, perfekt orden offers ten short pieces that continue and expand Wako’s Nordic jazz aesthetics, that keep exploring and merging themes of order and chaos, dissonance and consonance, rawness and romance, light and darkness, and elements of madness and harmony in a kind of low-key yet propulsive intensity. Wako sounds like a mature, commanding unit that knows how to balance its four distinct voices perfectly, leaving enough room for individual solos and charging its music with stimulating and playful energy.
Poulsen contributed an emotional ballad, the opening piece «Folk», just like he did on Ut av det nye. Mulelid’s «Drifting» and «Solskinnet» correspond with the seminal influence of Keith Jarrett’s Scandinavian Quartet, with Olsen taking the role of the singing sax playing of Jan Garbarek. Olsen’s compositions open Wako’s dynamics to more adventurous and surprising dynamics, sometimes lyrical and nostalgic (the last piece, «To Mom and Dad, It’s Okay»), even sparse ones, that search for fresh, unconventional narratives. Evig liv, perfekt orden captures Wako at its best, highlighting the importance of honesty and transparency in its music.
Eyal Hareuveni
Kjetil A. Mulelid (piano), Martin Myhre Olsen (alto saxophone, soprano saxophone), Bárður Reinert Poulsen (double bass), Simon Olderskog Albertsen (drums)
