Sakuteiki

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This solo debut by Arve Henriksen of the Norwegian alt.jazz collective Supersilent will doubtlessly compel listeners to compare his breathy, searching sound to that of Jon Hassell. The comparison is a legitimate one, and is further shored up by the fact that both have been heavily influenced by ancient Eastern forms - in Hassell's case, the Indian vocal tradition of Pandit Pran Nath, while Henriksen has studied the tonal qualities of the Japanese shakuhachi flute. And yet despite these affinities, on 'Sakuteiki' Henriksen proves himself to be a very independent and new voice.

The album borrows its title from a treatise on gardening written in Japan during the 11th century, which emphasizes the importance of placing things "where they are called for". Henriksen invests fifty quiet, contemplative minutes in tentatively searching for the right place to put his notes, and succeeds brilliantly in his quest. A surprisingly vast and colourful array of sounds emerge from the bell (and mouthpiece) of his trumpet, very occasionally accompanied by sparse organ, harmonium, voice or discreet electronic percussion. Agile production by fellow Supersilent member Helge Sten, aka Deathprod, himself no stranger to creating fragile atmospheres, as was amply proven by his shared album with Biosphere, 'Nordheim Transformed', on the same label. Delicate and engrossing.