In The Presence Of Magic

For various reasons I didn't think I was going to Nattjazz this year, but surprisingly enough I ended up there last night anyway. And I could sure use a break from the writing. (To be honest I had a break on Friday as well, and that was kind of magic too...) Anyway, attending NattJazz one have to be a bit careful, as there are several shows starting at the same time. And making decisions isn't what I'm best at. But we settled for Karl Seglem, and only seconds into the concert we know we'd made the right choice.

It was absolutely magical; five vary talented musicians playing in perfect disharmony. And it was easy to see that they truly enjoyed what they were doing, laughing and smiling as they were. (So was I, by the way.)

Karl himself plays the tenor sax, but also the Norwegian ram's horn! On his website you can read that "His music ranges across the entire spectrum from folk to free form, and is inspired by everything from the world beat to the Nordic landscape." But to my belief, his music is beyond that. I have listened to my share of music, and very often I can detect certain phrases and sections, and sort of pinpoint them geographically. Like "there was a Balkan influence" and "there I could hear an African beat". What Karl accomplishes is a unique expression of effortlessness, despite it's extreme complexity. The sound is so natural, that I have a feeling that this is not jazz nor world music nor contemporary folk, it's universal, it's just music. And those percussionist, what can I say? There were beats that made me leave the planet for a while...