Though an exceptionally fine player, bassist Arild Andersen tends to make music that focuses on ensemble work, highlighting his talent as a composer and savvy as a bandleader. For Landloper, he hooks his double bass up to a set of effect pedals and goes it alone. Some of it’s what you might expect – ambient washes of reverb or looped arco lines over which he solos in his inimitable (i.e. bluesy and melodic) way (“Dreamhorse”), or himself playing a melody over his own bassline (“Mira”). Fine tunes both, but sometimes Andersen swings for the fences, with multiple loops and tonal shifts that challenge his skills as both player and on-the-spot arranger. In that respect, the medley of Albert Ayler’s “Ghosts,” the traditional Norwegian folk tune “Old Stev,” and his own galloping title track serves as a tour de force. Andersen closes with an Ornette Coleman tribute – a medley of the free jazz pioneer’s “Lonely Woman” with Coleman sideman supreme Charlie Haden’s “Song For Che” – eschewing the electronic augmentation to just get the tune across as directly as possible. While never shy about soloing in his bands, Andersen clearly relishes the chance to be in the spotlight, putting his magic touch to work on as strong a set of songs as he’s ever had.
