The Scorch Trio

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Finnish electric guitarist Raoul Bjorkenheim made a big splash initially with jazz-rock group Krakatau, which had several notable releases on the ECM label in the early 90's. Having attained a reputation as something of a guitar god, Bjorkenheim has gigged around in various contexts after Krakatau's dissolution, looking for suitable opportunities to strut his stuff.

Given the ubiquitous nature of the electric guitar in contemporary pop and jazz music, it's not hard to find musicians even at the local dance hall on Saturday nights who can run up and down the fretboard (or shred it) with aplomb. In short, guitar gods are a dime a dozen these days. Like other guitarists before him, Bjorkenheim's challenge has been to separate himself from the pack, and he did so in 2001 with Apocalypso, an extended, self-composed work that had him overlaying guitar parts with the assistance of studio overdubbing. Even more recently, he has returned to a small group format similar to Krakatau, joining with bassist Ingebrigt Håker Flaten and drummer Paal Nilssen-Love to form the Scorch Trio. To the best of my knowledge, this is their debut recording.

Apocalypso garnered some impressive plaudits from the music press, but like most solo efforts, it had its thin spots. If Bjorkenheim has a deficiency, it is his limited melodic sensibility. In short, he's no Bill Frisell. The simple melodies of Apocalypso have a certain primitive charm, but without the various treatments, they probably wouldn't amount to much. No such problem exists with the Scorch Trio - this is high energy heavy metal noise almost from start to finish, with each participant playing an equal role, and Bjorkenheim able to play to his strengths throughout. Melody plays a distant third to rhythm and texture, which are frequently complex and consistently inventive. The success of the music is also due, in large part, to the strength of Bjorkenheim's two colleagues, neither of whom could be represented by any stretch of the imaginative as a "sideman." This trio is a fully active partnership; Nilssen-Love is an exciting drummer, part thrash and part free jazz, who has a good measure of Elvin Jones in his rhythmic vocabulary, and Flaten is adept on both electric and acoustic instruments, and not shy about grabbing the solo spotlight himself.

The opening track careens and lurches along for almost a full three minutes before Bjorkenheim even enters, fueled by flailing percussion and some dexterous and funky patterns from the bass. Bjorkenheim's initial solo on this track is perhaps his most conventional on the CD, and the sound of the trio here bears a decided resemblance to some of Sonny Sharrock's work - except that Bjorkenheim's solos characteristically tend not to build to climaxes, but instead shift through various harmonic and rhythmic possibilities. Dynamics of a sort are achieved when one or more of the instruments drops out for a time, or when the underlying rhythm shifts gears, but Bjorkenheim's general tactic is to introduce variety by changing the sound of his instrument, and on this track he slides into a second section characterized by heavy distortion and wah-wah effects. Elsewhere, on other tracks, he employs devices such as string-tapping, bent notes and thick, juicy chords filled with overtones. The second, quite-remarkable track on the CD, "sæde," sounds like late-period Coltrane, with Nilssen-Love pounding and crashing freestyle like Rashid Ali, and the two guitars locked onto one or two distorted, multi-octave notes for the most part, groaning, gabbling and squealing like Pharaoh Sanders and John C. himself. Other of the seven tracks contain equivalent surprises, and none fall back on any kind of stock formula. One shorter piece, "vittula" actually dispenses with rhythm altogether, and utilizes a melancholy and slightly ominous ambient/industrial language. Overall, the absence of both melody and internal dynamics on the CD is hardly noticed, as the wide assortment of riffs, rhythms and textures give the listener more than enough to chew on -- and be captivated by. The Scorch Trio provides music that is alternately experimental and hardcore - and quite often both. It's a highly satisfying combination.