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Polarity: An Acoustic Jazz Project

Hoff Ensemble, Jan Gunnar Hoff

16,9933,49
(2 customer reviews)
(4 press reviews)

This album is now available in 5.1.4 Channel Auro3D 96k Immersive Audio.

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Polarity is the follow-up album to the Hoff Ensemble’s Grammy-nominated album Quiet Winter Night and Jan Gunnar Hoff’s solo Jazz albums Stories, Quiet Nights and Living. Jan Gunnar Hoff is acknowledged as one of Norway’s leading Jazz pianists, collaborating with international artists including Alex Acuna, Mike Stern, Pat Metheny and Maria Joao.

“My main goal is to create a specific identity for each album I make. This time I chose to involve Anders Jormin and Audun Kleive, two of Scandinavia’s finest jazz artists. The result is Polarity, an album based on both new and older compositions of mine, recorded in a unique acoustic setting” — Jan Gunnar Hoff 2018

Polarity has been conceived as a cohesive experience where the compositions themselves, the moments of spontaneous inspiration during performance and the natural sound world of the church acoustic all affect the final result.

The Elder” was composed in film director Ingmar Bergman’s study on the island of Fårö. The ambience in Bergman’s house and the view of the unending expanse of the Baltic Sea induced in me a sense of melancholy but also an almost ecstatic mood that resulted in what is really a homage to the legendary director.

The title track “Polarity” started out as an improvisation which I was working into a finished melody. We supplemented the ensemble’s palette of sounds by introducing an analogue synthesizer that grows in intensity, its sound filling the room with autonomous power.

Justice” is my emotional response to the experience of witnessing officialdom intervene in a family situation and how this affected all involved. “Innocence” and “Within” both have their take-off point in acutely vulnerable emotional conditions, where to show weakness can be experienced as a sign of strength. “Sacred” is based on a simple major and minor tonality, with the synthesizer and the coll’arco bass line central elements.

The character of “Euphoria” is elated – the spontaneous improvisation between the piano and drums driving the melody to a no-holds-barred level of energy. “Beginning“, with its minimalistic calm, is in marked contrast; dark melancholy and gloom find release in a spirit of reconciliation. “Pathway” is a set of variations on a series of chords; the variations unfold with the piano and double bass taking on different roles as the piece develops. “Home” was originally composed as a backdrop to Knut Hamsun’s poem “I ungdommens vår” (In the Spring of Youth) but has been fleshed out to a trio ballad.

The idea to work on a project for a trio came to me a few years ago, but it is only recently that the idea has really begun to take form. The choice of musicians was not difficult, with Audun Kleive and Anders Jormin both having long track records on the Scandinavian jazz scene, and both still eager to explore and energize the established trio format. This is the first time the three of us have made a recording like this together, vacating the usual studio setting in favor of the acoustics of a church. My main goal is to create a specific identity for each album and to make the music come alive.

Hoff Ensemble
Jan Gunnar Hoff – Piano
Anders Jormin – Bass
Audun Kleive – Drums

Tracklist

Please note that the below previews are loaded as 44.1 kHz / 16 bit.
1.
Innocence
05:07
2.
Revamp
04:35
3.
The Elder
06:45
4.
Polarity
04:54
5.
Beginning
03:13
6.
Justice
04:53
7.
Moving
03:42
8.
Euphoria
02:43
9.
Within
05:59
10.
Sacred
03:01
11.
Pathway
07:47
12.
Home
05:55

Total time: 00:58:34

Additional information

Label

SKU

2L145

Qualities

, , , , , ,

Channels

, , ,

Artists

,

Composers

Genres

,

Digital Converters

Horus, Merging Technologies

Editing Software

Pyramix, Merging Technologies

Financial Support

Fond for utøvende kunstnere and The Arctic University of Norway (UiT)

Mastering Engineer

Morten Lindberg

Microphones

DPA Microphones

Instruments

, ,

Original Recording Format

Power Line Conditioner

JMF Audio PCD302

Producer

Morten Lindberg

Recording Engineer

Morten Lindberg

Recording Location

Sofienberg Church, Norway September 2017

Recording Software

Pyramix, Merging Technologies

Recording Technician

Beatrice Johannessen

Recording Type & Bit Rate

DXD

Release DateFebruary 7, 2019

Press reviews

Magazine Audio

The Hoff Ensemble’s Polarity: An Acoustic Jazz Project is a reference in the genre that will undoubtedly outclass your standard recordings. Morten Lindberg has brought listeners more accessible classical music recordings. Polarity offers him the unique opportunity to showcase his talent and that of the jazz musicians who accompany him on this album.

Polarity offers a journey where our senses are put to use because of the multiple and large amplitude of the sounds, the striking dynamics, the clarity, the transients, the perception of a host of subtle details, the ample, flexible bass, fast, toned and sometimes very deep. I could classify Polarity in a combination of styles, ranging from jazz, fusion to contemporary trends. The key to Morten Lindberg is knowing how to combine today’s technologies with the old traditions and in that he excels.

For the record, I invited a musician and soundman to listen to Polarity in my world, without knowing in advance what it was. He knew immediately where the recording was made and the care taken in the quality and placement of the microphones!

You’ll find all the contextual and technical details on the .pdf document that accompanies each version of the album that I invite you to download because it’s by far the best jazz album I’ve heard this year. It becomes de facto a must in any self-respecting media library.

It’s a safe bet that you will hear more and more about 2L at audio shows, professional dealers, and this album in particular. For my part, I have integrated two new musical tracks from Polarity to my must play list – “Innocence” and “Sacred” which together represent the quintessence of the know-how.

Audiophile Audition 4 out of 5

Typically, when I am reposed on the listening couch, staring up at the cracked ceiling plaster, I don’t look for musical happenings above me. Instead, the action emanates from the towering von Schweikert’s in front of me, the source of a well-defined sound stage. Thus, I sat bolt upright to solve the puzzle: whence comes this apparition of three-dimensional sound space? The liner notes of this release “Polarity,” by the Hoff Ensemble, document the recording location, a high ceilinged church in Sofienberg, Norway. However, there is nothing unusual in this. Such spaces usually conduce to reverberant recordings of the ECM type, a quality that I hold in the same esteem as added color and flavor in foods. But this was no mere added echo, rather an aural illusion of layered sound in the vertical dimension. It was playing tricks on my ears. Turning to my trusty Grado headphones, I achieved a little more clarity in placing the instruments but there still obtained the peculiar sense that I was looking down on the music, a disembodied listener, while my chair-bound self was simultaneously taking in the horizontal view. This sort of adventure in acoustical research is what 2L (Lindberg Lyd) audio is all about. Audiophile enthusiasts owe themselves an experience with this new super high-resolution technology. The 2L website gives a lengthy technical description of the processes involved. Below one can sample their provocative claims.

Now for the music. The Hoff ensemble, led by Jan Gunnar Hoff and featuring Anders Jormin on bass and Audun Kleive on drums, brings together well-known Norwegian musicians for what they call modestly an “acoustic jazz project.” The bassist is well known for his work on the ECM label while the pianist and composer of all 12 tracks is a new name for me. Listeners might expect something along the lines of Jormin’s piano trio outings on the Manfred Eicher’s iconic label, and they will not be disappointed. The style of the first track, from the brooding introduction to the meditative and modal musings of the trio, sound strikingly like the signature ECM artists Tord Gustavsen, Wolfgang Broderode, and Bobo Stensen. At a higher temperature, a second tune called “Revamp” references the cascading passages and swirling rubato of Keith Jarrett. The pianist’s technique is first rate and his attentiveness to his rhythm section show good teamwork.

The strength of this session lies in the compositions more than in the playing which although quite good doesn’t assertive itself enough to my ears to amount to a distinctive trio voice. The piano and bass do achieve moments of accord, however, and lyrical beauty abounds. The drums, which pose the most intriguing problem to both pair of ears on the horizontal and vertical level, are diffident. There is less use of the ride cymbal than I have heard in a long time, which is not a bad thing as the pianist shows a strong predilection for the pedal.

Jormin’s bass is simply faultless. His arco playing escapes the usual vinegar attached to that technique, while every detail in his sound, from delicate pizzicatos to huge quarter notes, resonate come at you from two directions like warm zephyrs on a cool day.

A peculiar feature of this “acoustic project” involves the use of synthetic studio sounds. Not credited in the notes, these “soundscapes” (to use the new term, which I am beginning to dislike) seem extraneous to the essence of this music. Elsewhere, I found this explanation by the leader. “We supplemented the ensemble’s palette of sounds by introducing an analog synthesizer that grows in intensity, its sound filling the room with autonomous power.” They certainly add something to the huge range of dynamic and acoustically effects but now without damage to the purity of the trio concept. My guess is that these “enhancements’ will go down much easier with the audiophile contingent while raising a skeptical eyebrow with the ECM jazz trio fan club.

In all, this is a breathtaking development in audiophile sound and recording. The Hoff Ensemble can stand on equal terms with the fine working trios on the European scene today, even on this first collaborative effort. I will gladly seek out more L2 Recordings as well as future projects, acoustical or not, by the Hoff trio.

Jazz Dergisi

If you want to feel the culture, tradition, and attitude of the North of Norway in the music of sophistication, Jan Gunnar Hoff will be your quintessential host. His romanticism and well-hidden swing melt into the melodies inspired by his Arctic surroundings and lifestyle. Hoff likes happy endings in his music and Polarity is the beginning of all the ends that justify the means.

The Ear

This is very much Jan Gunnar Hoff’s project. As a composer and pianist, he has delivered a cohesive album, having selected the trio format and invited two other extremely talented musicians to join him. The recording was produced by the owner of 2L, Morten Lindberg in the Sofienberg Church Norway in September 2017.

The sound quality is absolutely excellent, with the acoustic of the church evident but each instrument well positioned in the soundstage. The music ranges from the elegiac (‘The Elder’) to the ecstatic (‘Euphoria’), and it is clear that these musicians really enjoyed playing together. This is modern jazz as I really like it – melodic, lyrical, surprising and emotionally compelling. I love that from time to time the church organ comes into play, presumably played by Hoff although he is not credited in the sleeve notes.

2L is highly committed to multi-channel recording. As I only have a 2.1 system I listened to the Stereo DSD version. Thoroughly recommended, for the brilliant music and the excellent recording quality. I do hope I can hear it in its full surround glory ere long!

2 reviews for Polarity: An Acoustic Jazz Project

    Good music. A very good recording 🙂

    I listened to the album in 5.1 Channel Surround Sound. This is an impressive recording. It is real Immersive Surround Sound where back speakers contain a part of the musical information (in this case drums). As usually with 2L the 0.1 subwoofer channel is used and contains ultra low frequencies. This makes the album still more impressive in 5.1 Channel Surround Sound.

    Don’t expect a recording as if the trio was in your room. It is recorded with the full ambience and reverb of the church where recording took place. All of this is very tastefully done. The program of this album is mainly acoustic jazz and is easy accessible.

    This is the album to have to demo your Surround Sound System to your visiting friends.

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