Bevort’s lyrically walking up and down her horn, swinging like crazy.
Gateway Music
Pernille Bevort – Tenor Saxophone, Compositions; Morten Ankarfeldt – Double Bass; Espen Laub von Lillienskjold – Drums
I was curious about the origins of the saxophone trio with bass and drums. In 1938 Coleman Hawkins was in a trio with piano and drums. Lester Young is listed as playing with the Buddy Rich trio but that makes it a quartet. There’s Sonny Rollins“ ’Way Out West” from 1957 and one of my favorites, Lee Konitz’s “Motion” from 1961.
Jazz musicians have experimented with the trio but Pernille Bevort has taken it to heart. Her latest, NORTHBOUND, is the fourth trio album with bandmates Bevort 3. In 2022 the Danish Music Awards voted Bevort 3 ‘Ensemble of the Year.’
Bevort says she likes the trio because she has more space as an improvisor. She says it’s easier combining the layers of lines and rhythms when composing for just three voices. Economics figure in as well. The more people you have in a band the more expensive it gets.
The title track ‘Northbound’ lazily lopes along with help from drummer Espen Laub von Lillienskjold’s exquisite brushwork. Bevort’s tenor has a pure rich tone. She softly blows legato high notes during bassist Morten Ankarfeldt’s soulful solo. Bevort 3 seem to anticipate each other. They seamlessly move between solos and what they do as a group.
Bevort composed the melody and bass lines for all the tunes on NORTHBOUND. These foundations left plenty of room for improvisation. Bevort hinted at what kind of rhythm or feeling lillienskjold should go for but otherwise the drummer was free to interpret.
When I first listened to NORTHBOUND it felt like the perfect background music. Then I started feeling like that creature in the basket with the snake charmer playing something irresistable. There are subtle turns of phrase, dynamics that grab you, changes in mood and rhythm.
‘Pending Spring ’has Bevort’s tenor sounding like a quiet echo bouncing off a hilltop. The short phrases from Ankarfeldt’s bass aren’t as timid. The sax gets friskier but then hushed trills close things.
Bass and drums duet the beginning of ’Strolling In June.’ Bevort lays down a slinky tenor theme. The bass solo is amazing. It’s walking, but it’s behind the beat for a while, it speeds up, pauses, it’s double time.
‘Ebullient Encounter ’is a perfect title for this tune. The bass and drums are loud and they’re having fun. I love what Lillienskjold does with dynamics. His drumming is different on every tune. Bevort’s lyrically walking up and down her horn, swinging like crazy.
Not all of Pernille Bevort’s sixteen albums are the trio format. She’s recorded solo, in a quartet, septet, and big band. If they’re as good as NORTHBOUND I’d like to hear all of them.
