A bonkers album… overflowing with energy!
Following Soft Machine’s penchant for numbered album titles (which is no surprise when you hear the music within) comes 6, the latest offering from Norwegian jazz-proggers Krokofant on Karisma Records’ Is it Jazz? label. The new platter is another strong entry in a contemporary catalogue rich with the kind of legitimate progressive approaches not always found in modern jazz bands (and ‘prog’ bands even less so), who often fall back on comfortable tropes as though wary of public reaction to deviation or experimentation.
Don’t let appearances fool you: this trio might look like they just stepped off of a salt-sprayed fishing vessel after weeks on the high seas, but these cats bash out a frenetic, ballsy jazz rock that can hold court with anyone else out there today. On their previous couple of records, they expanded to a quintet, featuring keyboards and a dedicated bass player, and while those talented additions fattened up the sound, they steered the ship slightly more to the prog rock area of what Krokofant does. Somehow they seem more in their element now, having returned to the original trio format, with a focus on the improvisational nature that makes up their core. Mainly a drums, guitar, and saxophone combo, Krokofant blend inspiration from a mix of heavyweights such as Coltrane, King Crimson, the aforementioned Softs, and 70s fusion.
The band come roaring out of the gate with opening track Harry Davidson, where a fluid sax lead dances over a heavy rhythm, before a quiet breakdown allows for lengthy guitar improvisation from Tom Hasslan who shifts between numerous styles. It’s a satisfying moment when the main rhythm reappears and brings the track to its conclusion, selling listeners on this album right from the start. And it just gets better from here.
A touch of Canterbury influence flavours the second track Triple Dad, which uses tempo changes to great effect while a long sax solo from Jørgen Mathisen dominates the middle of the piece, before a shift in mood opens the floor to more guitar improvs under an almost menacing shuffle. This band is certainly the sum of their parts, with no one star stealing the limelight more often than the other two, but special mention is due to drummer Axel Skalstad who truly impresses with his anchoring of these wild pieces (which is no small feat). He rises to the occasion throughout the entirety of this album, as I noted back in 2022 with the self-titled release from Soft Ffog, another splendid project from the same label and its pool of talent.
The amusingly titled Oh My Cod has a similar blueprint to Harry Davidson, with an even longer solo section between the bookend themes where Hasslan takes his time exploring guitar moods. If you haven’t put it together by now, solos abound on this album, especially six string ones, and it’s these melodic – and rhythmic! – leads which provide the most improv on the album, if less so in the arrangements themselves which are fairly structured. The Stanley Clarke-infused funk of Country Doom opens the door to what is perhaps the most guitar-heavy track, with a four minute-plus workout from Hasslan that glides along with hypnotic authority. Follow-up track The Ballade opts for a sparser atmosphere and more relaxed pace that brings to mind some of the early Weather Report records. It’s well placed, providing a breather before the album finishes up with Pretentious Woman, which weaves guitar and sax leads into the framework of a track that teeters between safety and chaos. It’s an effective closer which proves a good summary of the album. In fact, with the possible exception of The Ballade, just about any track here could be presented to a newcomer as a representation of what Krokofant is all about.
It’s a bonkers album, and not for the faint of heart, but it has much greater appeal than that assessment might suggest. I might hope for a touch more variety next time around, but it’s hard to complain here. The musicianship is excellent, the rhythms infectious, the melodies engaging, and it’s overflowing with energy and sparkle. Norway has proven a fertile breeding ground for bands of this genre, and it’s to our great benefit that we are spoiled for choice, with Krokofant one of the bands leading the charge. 6 comes very highly recommended.
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