Explosive Jazz Builds Up and Burns Down

Amalie Dahl: »Breaking/Building Habits«

Kristoffer Møllegaard. © Kristoffer Møllegaard

From the very first downbeat, I sense a special energy – saxophonist and composer Amalie Dahl, in interplay with vibraphonist Viktoria Søndergaard, guitarist Viktor Bomstad, and drummer Tore Ljøkelsøy, unfolds a unique balance between calm and restrained wildness. Take, for instance, the album’s second track, which opens at a lingering tempo with a duet between Søndergaard’s vibraphone and Dahl’s saxophone. At times their playing merges into harmonic dialogue; at others, the interaction is disrupted by contrasting movements. Like a conversation, the instruments alternate between gentle suggestions and lively outbursts. It is a joy to listen to music that flows so effortlessly. Halfway through, Bomstad suddenly kicks the door open with his guitar, hurling himself into the conversation with explosive force. Where moments earlier I was savouring the finely tuned interplay between Søndergaard and Dahl, I am now overwhelmed by the flaming, noise-rock chaos Bomstad ignites – and I love every second of it.

All three tracks on the album are thus imbued with sheer joy of playing, confident compositions, and impressively free excursions. The listener is kept on the edge of their seat, knowing that at any moment the four musicians can cause an otherwise cosy passage to detonate. With Breaking/Building Habits, Dahl and her collaborators exemplify the unique vitality of partially composed, partially improvised jazz. They build up and burn down, again and again – and as a listener, there is nothing to do but surrender to their compelling show of force.

English translation: Andreo Michaelo Mielczarek

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