Jon Balke
Magnetic Works 1993-2001 (2CD)
Format2CDLabelECM RecordsGenreJazz & Improvisation
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Magnetic Works 1993-2001 is a two-CD anthology that Jon Balke assembled from the trilogy of albums he made with the Magnetic North Orchestra. Two of them, Further and Kyanos, came out on ECM. The third, Solarized, was issued by EmArcy in 1999 and had long been out of print, and nine of its ten pieces are here. Heard together, they trace how a Norwegian pianist rethought what a large improvising ensemble could sound like.
Balke formed the group after leading the big band Oslo 13. "Inspired by Gil Evans, Claus Ogerman and Oum Khalsoum", he wanted to blend his favourite musicians into a sound wrapped around his compositions, rather than the weight of a big band. Anders Jormin (double bass) and Audun Kleive (drums) were the engine of the band. Per Jørgensen on trumpet and voice, alto saxophone and flute and, later, Arve Henriksen led the melodic improvising. String players were part of the sound from the start. Further was recorded in June 1993 and Kyanos in November 2001, both at Rainbow Studio in Oslo. Solarized, with the Cikada String Quartet, dates from 1998.
Balke did not keep the original order. The first disc opens with seven pieces from Further, including Changing Song, where strings and Jørgensen's voice ride a swinging pulse, and Taraf, carried by the alto saxophone. Solarized fills the middle of the set. Its title track and Dark and Slow give Henriksen's trumpet room over a heavier groove. The last seven tracks come from Kyanos, whose titles (Zygotos, Karyon, In Vitro) borrow from biology and where Balke adds electronics to piano and strings.
Writing in 2015 on ECM Reviews, Tyran Grillo called the set "an instant archival gem". He noted that listeners who already own the two ECM albums would find familiar material, but in a sequence that creates new connections between the pieces. For him the set gave the Solarized pieces, long neglected, a second life.
This is the double CD on ECM Records, ECM 2182/83, released in June 2012, with a 20-page booklet of credits, liner notes by Balke and photographs.
Release notes
A new compilation drawn from the albums Further, Kyanos and Solarized Recorded 1993 (Further, 1-1 to 1-7) and 2001 (Kyanos, 2-6 to 2-12) at Rainbow Studio, Oslo Solarized (1-8 to 2-5) recorded 1998 at Audiopol, Skien Liner Photos: Stills taken from the TV production "Live In Bruxelles" by Prospect Media AB An ECM Production Tracks 1-1 to 1-7 originally released on "[r=3496504]" (1994, ECM) Tracks 1-8 to 2-5 originally released on "[r=1575741]" (1999, Emarcy) Tracks 2-6 to 2-12 originally…
| 1-1 | Departure | 0:53 | |
| 1-2 | Changing Song | 5:21 | |
| 1-3 | Flying Thing | 4:56 | |
| 1-4 | Horizontal Song | 4:56 | |
| 1-5 | Moving Carpet | 5:19 | |
| 1-6 | Taraf | 6:18 | |
| 1-7 | Shaded Place | 4:38 | |
| 1-8 | Present Position | 5:36 | |
| 1-9 | Solarized | 6:40 | |
| 1-10 | Dark And Slow | 5:34 | |
| 1-11 | In Degrees | 1:31 | |
| 2-1 | Curve | 7:51 | |
| 2-2 | Circular | 4:04 | |
| 2-3 | Vertical | 1:31 | |
| 2-4 | Encoded | 3:44 | |
| 2-5 | Elusive Song | 3:52 | |
| 2-6 | In Vitro | 4:12 | |
| 2-7 | Plica | 2:49 | |
| 2-8 | Zygotos | 4:34 | |
| 2-9 | Karyon | 3:04 | |
| 2-10 | Mutatio | 4:53 | |
| 2-11 | Katabolic | 5:04 | |
| 2-12 | Kyanos | 3:44 |
- Morten Halle
- Alto Saxophone, Flute (1-8 to 2-12)
- Jonas Franke-Blom
- Cello (1-1 to 1-7)
- Morten Hannisdal
- Cello (1-8 to 2-5)
- Svante Henryson
- Cello (2-6 to 2-12)
- Jon Balke
- Compilation Producer [Compilation By], Electronics (2-6 to 2-12), Keyboards, Liner Notes, Percussion (1-8 to 2-5), Photography By [Cover Photo], Piano (1-1 to 1-7, 2-6 to 2-12), Producer [Original Album "Kyanos" Produced By], Producer [Original Album "Solarized" Produced By]
- Sascha Kleis
- Design
- Anders Jormin
- Double Bass
- Audun Kleive
- Drums, Engineer (1-8 to 2-5)
- Jan Erik Kongshaug
- Engineer
- Cikada String Quartet
- Ensemble (1-8 to 2-5)
- Magnetic North Orchestra
- Ensemble
- Marilyn Mazur
- Percussion (1-1 to 1-7)
- Asle Karstad
- Photography By [Liner Photos: Stills Processed By (Back)]
- Tone Myskja
- Photography By [Liner Photos: Stills Processed By]
- Manfred Eicher
- Producer [Original Album "Further" Produced By], Producer [Original Album "Kyanos" Produced By]
- Tore Brunborg
- Tenor Saxophone, Soprano Saxophone (1-1 to 1-7)
- Jens Petter Antonsen
- Trumpet (1-1 to 1-7)
- Arve Henriksen
- Trumpet, Vocals (1-8 to 2-12)
- Per Jørgensen
- Trumpet, Vocals
- Marek Konstantynowicz
- Viola (1-8 to 2-5)
- Trond Villa
- Viola (1-1 to 1-7)
- Gertrud Økland
- Violin (1-1 to 1-7)
- Henrik Hannisdal
- Violin (1-8 to 2-5)
- Odd Hannisdal
- Violin (1-8 to 2-5)
