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Krokofant — 6
(Karisma Is It Jazz? KAR287, 2024, CD / LP / DL)

by Jon Davis, Published 2025-02-23

6 Cover art

Krokofant is on their sixth album now, though it’s my first encounter with the band from Norway. 6 shows a highly talented and original band with a distinctive take on the combination of jazz and rock. Their music is relentlessly energetic, with the kind of momentum that Mahavishnu Orchestra had in their early days, but their compositions are more reminiscent of Soft Machine at times. The trio consists of drummer Axel Skalstad, guitarist Tom Hasslan, and Jørgen Mathisen, who covers saxophone and synthesizers; at times the bass parts are handled by Mathisen’s keys, while Hasslan picks up bass guitar on some tracks. As soon as the first track bursts out of your speakers, you know you’re in for a wild ride! “Harry Davidson” has a killer riff played in unison in some meter I haven’t deciphered, with sax, guitar, and bass synth wailing away on what could almost be a rocked up version of something off Soft Machine’s Bundles — I’m talking “Hazard Profile,” in case you can’t guess. Hasslan’s guitar is outstanding. In Soft Machine terms, he’s more John Etheridge than Allan Holdsworth, though I also get tastes of early days rough-and-ready John McLaughlin and Larry Coryell in a particularly wild mood. Mathisen is a formidable presence on sax as well, and it’s clear he’s listened to some John Coltrane in addition to fitting right at home in a rock context. Every one of the six tracks is a solid winner, with “Triple Dad” and “Oh My God” standing out in my mind. Mathisen’s soprano sax on “Triple Dad” is gutsy, nothing like the sweet tone you usually hear on the instrument. “Country Doom” starts out quiet and funky, but builds to a crashing finale, and “The Ballade” takes a relatively calm approach, with guitar arpeggios and a doubled tenor / soprano sax melody. The only thing I dislike about Krokofant’s 6 is that it means I have five previous albums to track down.

Filed under: New releases, 2024 releases

Related artist(s): Krokofant

More info
http://krokofant.bandcamp.com/album/6

 

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