Agoja by Kjetil Mulelid

Kjetil Mulelid's various projects have received international acclaim, ranging from his duo with Siril Malmedal Hauge, his trio, and the quartet Wako. His first solo album, "Piano" (Rune Grammofon, 2021) received plaudits that placed him in the same company as pianists like Keith Jarret, Brad Mehldau, and Bill Evans. With "Agoja" Mulelid demonstrates what a musician and composer worthy of such acclaim can do with an ensemble cast of musicians of the highest calibre.

"For a while, I've had a wish to step into the studio and create an album under my own name, where I can do exactly what I want without worrying about the end result and the musical expression the music should convey, "says Kjetil. "In 2022, I had the plan as ready as it gets and asked many of my good friends and favourite musicians if they wanted to be part of this unfiltered journey. I booked the studio not knowing all the details, but in the subsequent days, a musical world took shape, becoming clearer with each recorded stanza. The result was on its way to becoming a melancholic reflection of life, mixed with a playful tribute to my upcoming next generation - parallel to the album process, I became a father for the first time. "Agoja" was the first approximate word I heard my son say, and I have therefore chosen to name the album just that."

On "Agoja" three features are immediately apparent. First, that Mulelid's compositions are melodic, yet frequently surprising in their path from their beginning to end; second, that he is a generous band leader, allowing the musicians both to be themselves and to express themselves, often while he merges almost completely into the background; finally, that each composition has its own unique identity, yet bears Mulelid's hallmark clearly and distinctly.

From the album's opening with its insistent bass arpeggios through to the closing tintinnabulations of keyboards and stuttering percussive bass, the carefully mapped explorations take the listener on a journey that traverses many moods and textures. Melodies are stated in unison, but each musician is allowed to break formation to add their own flourishes or accents. Melodic structures that are both emotive and wistful, perhaps nostalgic, and melancholic, inform improvisational monologues, dialogues and trialogues; there are breakdowns towards atmospherics and silence, like moonlight on moving water.

The dramaturgy of each track creates musical events and incidents with an abundance of detail. Some pieces have hymn-like qualities, others a baroque feeling set within a loose shuffling groove, while some have elegiac qualities. Throughout are demonstrations of the power of musical pauses, ascents and cascades of notes, and unexpected syncopations. The music might be intimate and appear close to the listener one moment, then soaring through what feels like a vast contained space the next, before breaking free into a panoramic soundscape. The music is resonant and evocative, filled with a richness of sound, never excessive, always carefully measured; there is always the feeling of unfolding drama, philosophy, emotion. "Agoja" is tone poetry in its truest sense.

Jazz pianist and composer from Norway.

kjetilmulelid.com