Organic Pulse Ensemble - Zither Suite (Ultraääni) [Jazz] ****

One man band Organic Pulse Ensemble has hit the ground running this year, with his latest LP of unashamedly throwback spiritual jazz for Ultraääni. Remarkably playing everything himself, with a few zither samples as thread, he channels the spirits of the 20th century greats & their astral travels into his Gothenburg apartment & scours paths less travelled on his own quest for meaning. If that wasn't enough, "no neighbours were harmed in the recording process".

Artist Notes

Zither Suite is the fifth OPE album. It was recorded in my apartment in Kortedala, just outside of Gothenburg. No neighbours were harmed in the recording process. The title track opens with a bitter sweet bass melody that I first recorded some 10 years ago, but it's been fermenting ever since and finally reached maturity. The zither that gave name to the record (and the first track) was a find from the local charity shop. While it's not featured on every track of the album it's a crucial part of the feel of the album as a whole. It's the rug that ties the room together.

The tracks on this album are all original compositions with the exception of Jämtland which is based on an old Swedish folk melody, reported to have been played by musicians in Jämtland as early as the late 1700s. The county of Jämtland is forever claiming a tounge in cheek sort of independence from the Swedish governing body (in spirit rather than in actual policies) and Jämtlandssången is it's unofficial national anthem.

-Gustav Horneij

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