Customer Reviews

Visible World

5 star:		(4)
4 star:		(6)
3 star:		(3)
2 star:		(1)
1 star:		(1)

 

 

. . . as far as I'm concerned, he can do just about whatever he wants and earn a five-star review from me.

I have a somewhat curious relationship to this disc of his. I remember purchasing it and being rather disappointed. No, not rather, MAJORLY disappointed. I thought it lacked rigor, soul, you name it. So much so that I sold it.

Then, after coming to my senses a decade later, I re-checked it out.

And was completely, absolutely, bowled over, estimating that it may, just, be his finest recording ever.

What happened in the interim? I'm not completely sure. I bought Rites and In Praise of Dreams. I revisited Legend of the Seven Dreams, I Took Up the Runes, and It's Okay to Listen to the Gray Voice, and concluded that here was a master of jazz elegiacism--perhaps the greatest and most important move of this alien yet homely music.

And I decided that Garbarek, on account of the hugely evocative move (the purely elegiac) that he makes on almost all his discs--but most decisively here--deserves a Lifetime Free Pass.

What does that mean? For me, it means that unless he makes a major misstep, everything he records merits utter musical absolution: No Purgatory for this master of the heart and soul of jazz melancholy.

Isn't that a little silly? I suppose so, but I can't help it. First off, his soprano sax concept and execution alone merit such exceptionalism. Has there ever been a player who gets so much pathos out of an instrument? I don't think so, and I also don't think there ever will be.

Second, he's somehow, magically, single-handedly bridged the gap between New Age and authentic jazz in his soprano sax playing and overall musical conception and soundscape. Tell me if you detect even the slightest hint of Kenny G in these grooves, and I'll retract everything I've said. But you won't. Trust me.

Third, I venture to say without contradiction that you'll hear here sounds and voices seldom if ever heard elsewhere. Take "Visible World - chiaro" as an example. What mystery! What pathos! What friendly weirdness! But "Desolate Mountains I" sustains and extends the aesthetic by leaps and bounds, and its successor, "Desolate Mountains II" somehow, magically, ups the ante.

Look. We're in the hands of a master here. No room for gainsaying. Nor second-guessing. Nor grousing.

Just accept it. Acknowledge it. And be grateful.

Jan Garbarek has again blessed us with a thing of exquisite beauty. As you start the first track, Red Wind, you are overcome by an instant, ethereal atmosphere. It's like aromatherapy, on a CD. The CD then takes you on a journey, through powerful, poignant pieces like The Survivor, through detatched, lightweight pieces like the Desolate Mountains, Haunting, weird pieces like Visible World (chiaro -) and leaves you with the stirring, cool Evening Land.

It is in your best interests to buy this CD. It may change your life. Unfortunately if you're one of the poor saps who never discovers this music, it's too bad...

I was given Visible World as a present - I would never have picked it off the shelf because I had never heard of Jan Garbarek. From the first note through to the end of the album I found myself transfixed and transported to a wonderful place. This is one of the most mellow thought provoking pieces of work I have ever listened to.

Considering all the other Garbarek albums I own, I found this one just a tad disappointing. Yes, as usual the sidemen are great, his sax play restrained yet appealing, the time generous (Garbarek always manages to give us seventy plus minutes on his cds), and the mood peaceful but shimmering, but I sense just a bit more atmosphere here than I do content. In short, a bit light-weight. If you do like this cd, I would strongly recommend "Twelve Moons," "I Took up the Runes," or "Legend of the Seven Dreams," all of which are not too distant style and content-wise, but have more personality.

I simply didn't like jazz. Then there was Visible World, and a door to a new world was opened. It's melodious without loosing it's edge, and it let's a beginner's ears follow the music without letting them loose interest. Whilst all the time keeping enough complexity to mesmerise me every time I listen to it. This CD never finds it way back to the shelf. I keep it next to the CD-player for easy access.

I was expecting more out of Garbarek after his Twelve Moons CD, which contains more than its share of magical moments. Visible World is a hodgepodge of songs done specifically for this record combined with songs from other recording projects (i.e. film). Some are distinctly Scandanavian, some sound like American Indians in the fjords. Not that there's anything wrong with that. :) But most of the playing seems calculated to soothe, not to challenge. Yes, there is a valid Kenny G-ish comparison here.

If one was rating this on the Kenny G scale, it would be a 5. But judged against Garbarek's best work, albums like Dis or Dansere or even My Song with Keith Jarrett, this is a dud -- maybe a 1 or 2. I guess Garbarek has made the mistake of being too good in the past -- making his own grading curve more difficult.

With Keith Jarrett slowed down terribly by a disease of the nervous system, Garbarek was ECM's biggest star of the late 1990s. Creator of some outstanding 50+ albums -- such as 'I Took up the Runes' and 'Arbour Zena' -- Garbarek could afford to bring in any session musicians he wanted. So for this 1996 recording, why does he himself play so many of the instruments -- such as piano, electronic keyboards and percussion -- which are not his speciality? I guess it's not the money, but the chore of organising a band. It seems to be a trend -- for the follow-up CD, 'Rites', Garbarek was on the same do-it-all-himself trip.

I saw the Garbarek band on the 'Visible World' tour, performing at London's Festival Hall, with Mazur, Bruninghaus and Weber. It was a magnificent concert, performed by middle-aged musicians to a mostly middle-aged audience. Was it jazz? There wasn't much evidence of improvisation. Garbarek stuck entirely to material from this album, I seem to remember. But it's a long album -- 75+ minutes -- so very good value for a single CD, in theory.

It's highly atmospheric, cinematic stuff, but for me the problem is that there aren't enough of the wonderful rhythmic tunes that Garbarek has written in the past. Only 'Pygmy Lullaby' and 'Evening Land' -- both excellent, by the way -- really get the juices going.

Judging by the reviews here, this album divides the critics: it's excellent for Garbarek beginners who believe that jazz is raucous and unlistenable, but it's regarded as second-rate by fans who know what Garbarek has produced in the past.

Don't get me wrong -- I will carry on buying Garbarek CDs ad infinitum, so long as he doesn't issue many more 80-minute oeuvres in expensive double CD packages. It just seems to me that Garbarek's work with the Hilliard Ensemble, which coincided with this disc, didn't improve his jazz playing.

Mr. Garbarek just keeps getting better. It's jazzy without sounding dysfunctional. I love the floating melody over the rhythm section of the first piece. This is happy music full of life.

3 1/2

Though its tribal pulse can become repetitious within relaxed limitations and lengthy output, VW still stands as a successful jazz new-age crossover, exhibiting an accessibly mysterious warmth throughout which should excite newcomers without alienating fans.

Garbarek has made recordings in a variety of settings that encompass a variety of moods, but Visible World is the first one that has ever prompted my wife to ask me in surprise whether I had just picked up a Kenny G CD. Hmmm. Yes, this is a tuneful, even pretty recording, and although I will admit it is not my favorite Garbarek recording (I'm not really sure what that would be, but the first one I usually recommend to people is I Took up the Runes, or if they are willing to spend a bit more on a two-CD set, Rites), I have found Visible World to be a CD that rewards repeated listening. My hope is that Kenny G fans will try this recording, then move on to some of Garbarek's other recordings, then maybe try his work with Keith Jarrett, all the while broadening their jazz horizons.