This Was the Pace of My Heartbeat [Import]

In the Country | Format: Audio CD

Product Details

• Audio CD (April 19, 2005)
• Number of Discs: 1
• Format: Import
• Label: Rune Grammofon
• ASIN: B0007XBMPW
• In-Print Editions: MP3 Download
• Average Customer Review: 5.0 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (2 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #357,364 in Music (See Top 100 in Music)

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

1 of 1 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars In The Country - "This Was the Pace of My Heartbeat", January 5, 2006

By 

Audiostar (USA) - See all my reviews

This review is from: This Was the Pace of My Heartbeat (Audio CD)

"Keyboardist Morten Qvenild is one of Norway's most valuable utility players. He is the "orchestra" in the incredible post-Björk duo Susanna and the magical orchestra, writer and arranger for jazz singer Solveig Slettahjell, former member of pop-prog-jazz instrumentalists Jaga Jazzist and Shining, and part of chart-topping supergroup the National Bank. Qvenild gets to display his piano-jazz chops with In The Country, featuring bassist Roger Arntzen and drummer Pål Hausken, and the trio's debut CD is a stunner.

From the jazz world, Qvenild cites Paul Bley and Norwegian free player Svein Finnerud as influences, from classical Olivier Messiaen and Morton Feldman. Qvenild also has a great ear for pop melodies: His gorgeous solo cover of Ryan Adams' woozy ballad "In my time of Need", played with almost no extrapolation on the theme, renders the song a pure lullaby. Qvenild's mixture of jazz phrasing, classical sensibilities and love of songcraft leads In The Country through 11 songs that rarely rise above a whisper but carry the emotional power of a screaming stack of Marshall amps.

The album is so focused that the tracks work together like a suite, but individual highlights abound. "Bever Creek" starts as a meditation and builds to something like slow-motion free jazz before returning to the gentle melody. "How to get Acquainted" rumbles through sublimely measured tension that, when released, feels like a giant hook in a pop song. "Viggo" features Hausken's haunted wail, singing wordlessly with the melody. The CD closes with Handel's reverential lament "Laschia Ch'io Pianga", played by Qvenild on a Casio SK-10, simultaneously post-modern and classic, just like the rest of the album."

5.0 out of 5 stars An impressive new trio, February 11, 2006

By 

Jess Row (NYC) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

This review is from: This Was the Pace of My Heartbeat (Audio CD)

Morten Qvenild draws together many influences for this wonderful new recording: the quiet focus of his countryman Tord Gustavsen, the improvisational complexity of the Evans/LaFaro/Motian trio, the spareness and free tendencies of Paul Bley, and the density of Brad Mehldau and Ethan Iverson. It's very much an expression of the moment in this particular corner of the jazz world. One standout, at least, is Qvenild's interpretation of the Ryan Adams ballad "In My Time of Need," heartbreaking and hymn-like. A very exciting emerging talent.