Marthe Lea Band - Herlighetens Vei (2023) [Hi-Res]

"Herlighetens Vei" is Marthe Lea Band's follow-up to the slightly classic debut album, "Asura" from 2021. It carries on the same life-affirming energy and explores new nooks and crannies in the same wonderful
universe as the first. Like its predecessor, the second album offers a lot of variety and the free approach to the compositions stands strong. Some of the tracks make it impossible to keep your dancing feet still, while others give room for introspection and reflection.

The record conveys a humble and respectful attitude to Life. That human existence is sacred and mysterious. Through an open and alert mind, the mystery will naturally grow and unfold before you.
At concerts (MLB is playing several major festivals in Scandinavia and on the continent) the audience gets to experience a working band that continuously adds spontaneity to the distinctive compositions written by Lea. The individual messages from the quintet come through clearly, with respect for traditions, they wish to stretch "jazz" in different directions.

The French jazz magazine Citizen Jazz was overwhelmed with enthusiasm for the first record, and particularly boasted of Marthe Lea's "ability to hold disparate idioms together, to mix a whole bunch of influences (whether musical or not, moreover) in the crucible of her own personality, of her own history, to bring out a great personal and extraordinary whole, a fresh and singular music which belongs only to
herself.”

And this quality is conveyed throughout these 42 minutes through a series of idiosyncratic songs, each of which represents a flurry of experiences, feelings, dreams, and dialogues, secrets as well as statements, big and small.
The opening track, "Herlighetens Vei", also called the "Holiday Song", where the band hits the groove of the nail with star constellation precision, expresses the joy of having left the city behind and come home to a natural pace, the forest, a sense of community and freedom. The title comes from the name of the street where Marthe lives - Hervigs Veg.
"Ayumi" is based on a song Marthe spontaneously sang to the pianist Ayumi Tanaka during a rehearsal. They both think it was so catchy that they kept singing to it when they met each other. Now it is taken to new heights together with the band.
"Springar fra Rollag" is Marthe's tribute to the medieval valley of Numedal after she moved to Rollag and bought a sea flute from a local flute maker.
"Låvebængar" is based on a riff that arose spontaneously in the studio. Clarinet player Andreas Røysum channels experiences from both listening to and physical meetings with various clarinet players from around the world.
"Disene" creates, with a cheeky mix of acoustic and electric sound sources, an extraterrestrial atmosphere. The Dises are female deities who live in the mist and sing beautiful songs. They are guardians
of a family or a person.
"Sa Brugda" was sung to Marthe under water.
"Gurdjieff to Gurdjieff", was composed by the philosopher and mystic of the same name. In collaboration with the pianist Thomas De
Hartmann, he wrote pieces of music for disciplined bodily movements or so-called sacred dances, which functioned as a spiritual practice for practitioners.
"Vevet" tries to illustrate the connection between humans and us, the undeniable connection to nature and to something bigger than ourselves.
"Aldri ska eg glemma livet" is, and this is said by an external person, i.e. not by Marthe herself, her clearest contribution to the folk music tradition in this country so far, a completely inwardly crystallized message in words and tones about what the whole thing is about . “Never shall I forget life – as it shines, as it shines”. I think this will probably be sung by many a singer during domestic activities and at folk music meetings for hundreds of years to come, and the bass and drum duo lying around should be on the UNESCO list as soon as possible.

Lea wishes to convey a clear message: The music is solemn, but not self-celebratory. It wants to be felt, not understood.

DETAILS
Personnel: Marthe Lea - tenor saxophone, flutes, piano, vocals, udungu, percussion; Andreas Røysum - clarinet, bass clarinet, double bass clarinet, flute, vocals, percussion; Hans P. Kjorstad - fiddle, vocals,
percussion; Egil Kalman - double bass, modular synthesizer, vocals; Hans Hulbækmo - drums, percussion, vocals

Tracklist:
1.01 - Marthe Lea Band - Herlighetens Vei (5:04)
1.02 - Marthe Lea Band - Springar fra Rollag (3:25)
1.03 - Marthe Lea Band - Ayumi (6:35)
1.04 - Marthe Lea Band - Sa Brugda (5:22)
1.05 - Marthe Lea Band - Låvebængar (3:52)
1.06 - Marthe Lea Band - Gurdjieff til Gurdjieff (2:49)
1.07 - Marthe Lea Band - Disene (6:03)
1.08 - Marthe Lea Band - Vevet (5:14)
1.09 - Marthe Lea Band - Aldri Ska Eg Glemma Livet (2:51)