Martin Miguel Almagro Tonne - Perita (2023) Hi Res

Martin Miguel Tonne’s Jazzland Recordings debut “Perita” is a multifaceted assault on the senses. Gritty Lo-fi and crystalline Hi-fi tones and textures layer and interweave, angular riffs merge with broken melodies, chugging repetitive beats morph into polyrhythmic hustle and bustle, and at any given moment, everything can jump or slide onto a completely new set of ideas. Perhaps best known for his work in Pom Poko, he has also appeared on recordings by Kalle (including the eponymous 2020 album on Jazzland) and Lillebror.

Much of the music was played and programmed by Tonne himself (guitar, bass, percussion, synth, drum programming, etc), but he is also accompanied by others: The interplay between Tonne and sax player Karl Hjalmar Nyberg (particularly on the track “Microton”) is frequently nothing short of magical as they conjure unexpected unisons and harmonies or break free of each other to create dramatic counterpoints. Lyder Øvreås Røed (trumpet) joins Tonne, Nyberg, and Hans Hulbækmo (Drums) on “4444”, a melodic song that drifts and soars, and has a strangely nostalgic air, yet manages to feel like some species of indie rock.

The drummers get their moments, too – Axel Skalstad, Hans Hulbækmo and Henrik Lødøen – each providing playing that ranges from almost sterile interplay with programmed beats through to textural and expressive playing. Martin Morland (bass) appears on “Smaken av grus” where he contributes a killer solo, and “Coral Part 2”.

“Perita” is one of those albums that is simply unclassifiable – shot through with mid-1960s proto-psychedelia, moments of cool jazz, late 1980s Latin House, shoegazer elements, Beefheartian jagged riffs and counterpoints, whispers of pop, choral, ambient, experimental improvisation, and just about anything else that comes to mind: all musical substance is grist for Tonne’s mill, and he clearly relishes it.