Recording of the Week, Rymden - Space Sailors

Psychedelic jazzers Rymden are something of a supergroup for the Scandinavian scene. Pianist Bugge Wesseltoft has played on a gargantuan amount of records both inside and outside of his native Norway, in a number of different contexts. Although his very earliest musical endeavours saw him in local punk and rock bands, his focus on jazz deepened following his move to Oslo in the mid-1980s, eventually playing for Norwegian heavyweights like Knut Riisnæs and Jan Garbarek. Swedish bassist Dan Berglund’s output is almost as prolific; beginning on the bass guitar and later doubling on the upright bass, Berglund is equally familiar with Swedish folk music, rock and pop as he is with jazz. Arguably some of Berglund’s most well-known work was his time as a member of the Esbjörn Svensson Trio, where he met fellow Swede and drummer for Rymden, Magnus Öström, whom Svensson had known since childhood. Similarly growing up with classic rock first and coming to jazz later, Öström’s career is just as varied, having played alongside fellow Swedish players to singer-songwriters and overseas artists like Pat Metheney. Following up their 2019 record Reflections and Odysseys, Rymden’s second expedition is a similarly spacey journey, coupling the trio’s jazz virtuosity with plenty of outside influences.

Rymden’s music covers a wide range of styles; the trio play what they call ‘prog jazz’, and cite classical music, film scores and progressive rock as influences. There’s a notable affinity for the psychedelic sounds of the seventies; the bassline on the opening track ‘The Life and Death of Hugo Drax’ (named after the Bond villain), for instance, immediately reminded me of something similar to Hawkwind with its bluesy groove, distorted sound and wah-wah effect. The trio’s tasteful use of effects make for some of the more overtly ‘prog’ moments on the album, as well as the most intriguing; I can certainly say the track ‘Free as a Bird’ is the first time I’ve heard a bowed double bass being played through what sounds like an amp with a phase-shifter effect, no doubt a holdover from Berglund’s time with the affected sounds of a bass guitar. The slow build-up on ‘The Final Goodbye’ is only helped by Berglund’s distorted upright bass, with warbling echoes filling in the space alongside Wesseltoft’s airy piano.

Textural effects aside, the band’s use of typically steady rock rhythms like ‘The Space Sailor’ or oddly accented ‘Terminal One’ make for some more overt homages to psychedelic rock and krautrock. Rymden don’t really swing, preferring the steady beats of jam bands past or ‘motorik’ beats of their German forefathers like Neu! or early Kraftwerk. The title track particularly captures this affinity for krautrock, with its repeating beat and motifs the band alternates between a dissonant lead melody and wide-open soloing.

Besides these space-rock jams, low-key tracks like ‘Söndan’, which breaks up the early half of the record with some steady bass chords, moody piano playing and sparse light percussion. More spaced-out goodness comes on the second half of ‘Arriving at Ramajay’, slowly building to its synthesiser-soaked climax. Space Sailors makes for a quirky journey outside of jazz space, taking enough from rock-based styles - be it the musical ingredients themselves or their use of effects - while still balancing the three Scandi jazz veterans’ well-honed chops.