Frode Haltli — Avant Folk
As the title suggests, the general premise is a cerebral modernization of folk melodies from various traditions, seen through a lens of modern jazz, and to a lesser extent, classical. Until recently I would have said this was a novel idea, but it would seem there are enough albums like this now that it could be said to be an entire genre, with John Zorn's Masada being the oldest project that comes to mind. Further back, classical composers like Bela Bartok and Aaron Copland created masterpieces by redigesting folk melodies. Recently, I was deeply moved by Dalava's "The Book of Transfigurations", an album in which folk, jazz, rock and classical styles are merged so fluidly that they truly become one. Novel or not, there is still seemingly infinite potential in this approach, especially when expert craftmanship is applied.
Among this album's distinctly jazz-like qualities are the highly complex yet understated rhythmic figures, and the inclusion of a drumset played with brushes, as well as the saxophone and trumpet playing. The closest album in sound to this one that I can think of is the work of Michael Blake, a jazz composer who has a similar preference for strong melody and colorful timbral variety.
Each of the five pieces are dense, substantial and distinct unto themselves, to the point that they are separate genres, with references to utterly contrasted folk traditions from across the globe. Where at the start of the album, it felt as if we'd travelled to archaic Britain or Ireland, with characteristic scalar 'jig' patterns, by the 3rd piece, we're in the desert, the tone of the harmonium winding angularly up and down a raga-esque scale. Even within each piece, we can change regions entirely.
Rather than paraphrasing specific folk songs from history and listing them by their original names, Haltli has opted to create collages with a great many component parts and drastic stylistic shifts. This leads to a bit more emotional detachment than in the case of Dalava, where raw emotion resonates directly from the ancient songs into their reinterpretations, and the original material is still recognizable. Here, the ideas are recontextualized to the point of changing tones entirely, and paired with accompiment that is at times highly contrasted.
The album is brimming with so much content that the listener will have unwittingly moved to a completely unrelated place in the music while still pondering the pervious. As such, it can be challenging to understand what is happening in real time, but the music's sweet consonance and timbral cohesion certainly make it a bit easier to digest.
At times, the stringed instruments congeal into a glistening arctic stream of sound in a way I'd expect from Radiohead, Bjork or other 'orchestral pop' musicians from the indie rock world. Overall, though, there is much less rock flavor on this album than on the otherwise similar Dalava album. When guitar work appears on this album, the tone is clean, and its usage is closer to jazz fusion.
Curiously, this is some of the darker accordion playing I've heard, the latter half of the album containing many a brooding soliloquy, in which Haltli shows his remarkable dexterity moving through complex tonal patterns. There is an eerie quality, a loneliness, which I've never associated with the accordion before, and at times it almost recalls an organ. For all the beauty of the instruments in the ensemble Haltli has brought together, it actually still feels like he is working the hardest here, and earning his place as bandleader. His playing has a ragged emotional sincerity, a yearning earnestness. However dauntingly complex the arrangment becomes, he re-introduces a direct emotional connection whenever he appears.
Frode Haltli's "Avant Folk" is an impressive collection of re-interpreted folk music that should appeal especially to fans of ethnically tinged melodic jazz. I am pleased to see this genre of music growing. There are some overthought aspects to the composition of this recording, and I wonder if it was wise to transition so abruptly in some cases from one folk tradition to another (i.e. the sudden lurch into vintage country western vibes partway through the final track). That said, there are vast amount of beautiful playing and inspired arrangement on this album as well, and I can't deny there is massive ambition behind the work. A solid recording.