As brilliant as their previous album "Enter" is, with "Ritual" they have
outdone themselves and produced a beast of beauty and power, extremely
well executed, beautifully recorded and produced from only two days in
the studio. Free improvisations, spontaneous horns, keyboard frenzy,
abstract electronics, guitar mayhem and not to forget; those glorious
twin voices of Mariam Wallentin and Sofia Jernberg. It´s about mysteries
and rituals; in music and in life.
Fire! originated as the trio
of Swedish improv masters Mats Gusfasson (sax), Johan Berthling (bass)
and Andreas Werliin (drums). None of them are what you could call jazz
purists; they all play in many different groups and contexts, including
The Thing (Gustafsson), experimental folk-electronica outfit Tape
(Berthling), and skewed blues-pop unit Wildbirds & Peacedrums
(Werliin). Sofia Jernberg and Mariam Wallentin have been on board since
the beginning, the same goes for horn players Niklas Barnö, Jonas
Kullhammar, Mats Äleklint, Per Åke Holmlander and Anna Högberg.
Basically a Swedish ensemble, the orchestra now also counts Norwegian,
Danish and French players. Members of Fire! Orchestra share a wide
background, combining jazz, improvised music, contemporary music, rock,
garage, psych, and what have you. As they proclaim on their site:
"Please make up your own genre and mind - listen freely - don´t buy our
labeling attempts... labeling sucks". A sentiment that basically sums up
Rune Grammofon as well, so we couldn´t agree more.
Tracklist:
1. Ritual Part 1
2. Ritual Part 2
3. Ritual Part 3
4. Ritual Part 4
5. Ritual Part 5
Fire! Orchestra: Facebook | Official
Rune Grammofon: Facebook | Official | SoundCloud