submitted on Tue, 11/18/2008 - 07:05 in Jazz Group by Mike_Longo 
The general international perception of Norway's jazz scene as "Nordic Cool," is, like most generalizations, inevitably distanced from truth. Atomic, The Core and Motif may possess no shortage of heat, but ECM has undeniably helped define that unmistakable Norwegian aesthetic. One of the "big four," brought to international attention in the early 1970s alongside guitarist {{Terje Rypdal = 3996}}, saxophonist {{Jan Garbarek = 6937}}, and drummer {{Jon Christensen = 12060}}, bassist Arild Andersen's ECM releases have largely avoided the kind of burning improvisational energy of his powerful trio disc Triptykon (1973), with Garbarek and Finnish drummer {{Edward Vesala = 11057}}. Live at Belleville--Andersen's first live album for ECM since his equally potent but stylistically different Molde Concert (1982)--recalls Triptykon's fiery intensity, but also reflects the same assimilation of traditional Norwegian music of albums including Sagn (1991)...
Source: allaboutjazz
Author: John Kelman
