One Armed Bandit

Jaga Jazzist | Format: Audio CD

Product Details

• Audio CD (February 23, 2010)
• Original Release Date: 2010
• Number of Discs: 1
• Label: Ninja Tune
• ASIN: B002YY04JM
• In-Print Editions: Vinyl  |  MP3 Download
• Average Customer Review: 4.6 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (5 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #93,431 in Music (See Top 100 in Music)

Editorial Reviews

NORWEGIAN 9 PIECE RETURN WITH AN ASTOUNDING RECORD - JAZZ, INDIE, MINIMALISM, FUNK & MORE! It's impossible to pin this Norwegian Nonet down in terms of one genre. There are elements of jazz, jazz-fusion, prog rock, electronics, widescreen rock, classical, PHILLIP GLASS / STEVE REICH minimalism, ISAAC HAYES chase scene cinematic funk - we could go on & on and still not sum them up accurately. Band leader Lars Horvath describes JAGA JAZZIST's their new album as "Wagner meets Fela Kuti"! But what comes out of this blend is a truly exciting roller coaster ride that is more about fun, melody & feel than showing off.

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

3 of 3 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars interstellar jazz and beyond, February 27, 2010

By 

somethingexcellent (Lincoln, NE United States) - See all my reviews
(VINE VOICE)   

This review is from: One Armed Bandit (Audio CD)

I knew it had been awhile, but until I went back and looked, I didn't realize it has been almost five full years since Jaga Jazzist released their last full length album, What We Must In the intervening years, the only peep that has been heard out of the band is last years 37-minute epic Kaleidoscope from band ringleader Lars Horntveth.

If there's one thing that I learned in the past five years, it's that the aforementioned album from the group has held up just as well as I originally gave it credit for, and possibly better. The flowing epics like "All I Know Is Tonight" and "Swedenborgske Rom" still sound huge and ambitious and pay off in spades, and the album as a whole doesn't sound nearly as dated as some of the same things that came out during the same time.

After spending quite a bit time now with "One-Armed Bandit," I have little doubt that it will do the same. Again, there are a vast amount of ideas and influences packed into the longer (but certainly not unwieldy) tracks, and the group manages to swirl together rock, jazz, fusion, prog, orchestral pop, and glints of lots of other styles into pieces that are ultimately catchy and re playable.

The album-titled "One Armed Bandit" kicks off the album in earnest and mingles harpsichord, synth washes, horns, and alternately baroque and kraut-inspired sections for seven minutes of widescreen sound that conjures up all kinds of imagery. By the end, lap steel is mingling with juicy bass, flutes, guitar, and electronics in a way that sounds like 5 different soundtracks all piled on top of one another and still coming out the better for it.

I could dive in just about anywhere on the album and find something that really tickles my ears, but two tracks that really show the albums diversity (and really, really keep me coming back) are "Toccata" and "Touch Of Evil." The former clocks in at just over 9 minutes and opens with overlapping phrases of organ and piano that sound influenced by minimalist composers like Philip Glass and Steve Reich. As the track builds, woodwinds, drums, electronics and loads of horns all enter the mix and create some shiver-inducing phase effects and small crescendos that stand out without being overbearing and obvious.

"Touch Of Evil" closes out the release and goes in a completely different direction, rumbling with some electronic programming and synths before crashing down into pools of orchestration and finally some juicy riffs. As it builds to a final conclusion, the last couple minutes of the song (and album) are some of the most giddy and joy-inducing that I've heard this year.

And so, while I've already gone back to this release many times since first getting it, based on past experience with the group it will hold up just as well over the next couple years. There aren't too many bands creating music with such expansive ideas, and it's a joy to Jaga Jazzist do it, even if it takes them so long to release music.

(from something excellent reviews)

2 of 2 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Jazz Electronica Fusion Perfection, June 22, 2010

By 

Scott Williams "sneakyneighborsdog" (Oakland, CA United States) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

Amazon Verified Purchase

This review is from: One Armed Bandit (Audio CD)

Overview:

Norwegian Band, Jaga Jazzist is probably the premier band when it comes to combining jazz and electronica. They have a progressive big jazz band sort of sound, while at the same time sounding like a postmodern surreal electronica outfit. This largely due to the wide variety of instruments each of the musicians can play. At times you can here things that remind you of Stereolab, Jean-Michel Jarre,Al DiMeola, Opsvik and Jennings, and even classical composer Shostakovich. Overall the sound is more electronica than jazz. There aren't really a whole lot of solos, but there is some nice horn play and the synthesizer, electric keyboard and organ play is out of this world. "One Arm Bandit" is as good as the other two Jaga Jazzist CDs I own ("A Living Room Hush", and "the Stix"). Probably overall this is their best CD as every track is strong (no weak links here). In this CD there is some slide guitar, which I love and don't remember hearing in previous Jaga Jazzist CDs.

Here is a brief/incomplete summary of the band and instruments:
Andrea Mjos: vibraphone, guitar, Korg MS10, Marimba, Glockenspiel, Crotales and percussion
Martin Horntveth: Drums, Drum machines, percussion & more
Lars Horntveth: guitars, clarinet, bass clarinet, Saxes, flutes, keyboards, steal guitar, & more
Line Horntveth: tuba, flute, glockenspiel, & more
Stian Westerhus, electric guitar, and other guitars
Even Ormestad: bass, keyboards, percussion
Mathias Eick, trumpet, bass, keyboards, piano, French horn
Erik Johannessen: trombone, Marxophone
Oystein Moen, synthesizers, piano, percussion

Song Highlights:
220 V/Spektral - This song opens with a duet on piano and keyboard. The keyboard line is a killer, catchy bubbly line. After a little bit a bass synth line comes in, and then a flute melody. The mood and rhythm than shifts to a new section that's more upbeat and there is a real nice reedy, airy sax melody, and then the rocking starts with a killer synth line followed by crashing reverberating guitar chords. This is one of Jaga Jazzist's best songs of all time.

One Arm Bandit - The title track opens with a keyboard line that sounds like something off of a Bonobo album, then the horns come in and you know its Jaga Jazzist. After a blistering start at the 1:30 minute mark everything fades away into a nice slide guitar section, then a cool keyboard line comes back in and it builds up again. At the 3:00 minute mark you understand the naming of the album as this majestic onslaught of synth sounds come in that will make you think you just got teleported to a slot machine filled room in Vegas.

Bananfluer Overalt - This tune reminds me of Al Dimeola and Jean-Michel Jarre. It sort of has a modern techno Egyptian feel to it. I can't help but think of DiMeola's "Alien Chase On Arabian Desert".

Toccata - This tune has almost a modern classical feel to it. It opens with two keyboards locked into different repetitive cycles. After a while a bassy synth line comes in that sounds very Shostakovich to me. Towards the end there are a lot of horns, which work really well.

Touch of Evil - This song opens with the sounds of a helicopter, then a bad a$$ dark, dark, bass line. Over the top of that is some really sad higher up synth melodies. In the middle of the song there is killer attacking electric guitar line. This song is very grandiose. Perhaps an anti war song??

2 of 2 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars SUPERB!! Music to sooth the savage soul, February 22, 2010

By 

Curious Skeptic (New York CIty) - See all my reviews

This review is from: One-Armed Bandit (MP3 Download)

I am a fan, but I gotta say this record is superb!! JJ are all over the place, mixing ideas and styles flawlessly and (most important) movingly. Lets face it folks; most of what's out there is just plain commercial trash. This disc/collection is pure delight. I first listened to it while visiting relatives in Florida. Loaded it up on my iphone and took a walk. I came back a changed man, smiling from ear to ear. JJ shift gears, slide through beautiful melodies, throw in some tempo shifts, electronics, funky horns, notes sliding gently along guitar strings, and full ensemble regalia. I even hear a bit of Frank Zappa's late-career synclavier compositions in there (thats a compliment!). Simply put, beautiful, complex music to sooth the savage soul. I love it