Terje Gewelt - House on a Hill (2020)

“House On A Hill” is veteran Norwegian jazz bassist and composer Terje Gewelt’s twelfth album. It features the same line-up as his critically acclaimed 2017 release “Wow And Flutter”, with Bjørn Klakegg on guitar, Erlend Slettevoll on piano and keyboards and Terje Evensen on drums and electronics. Gewelt, now sixty, has been performing and recording for over forty years with artists ranging from Billy Cobham and John Surman to Jon Christensen and Blossom Dearie.

Gewelt has his own personal approach to jazz, developed over a lifetime of listening and playing, and on this new album he continues to follow his muse. After many years of touring—including a memorable gig in Buzios, which inspired the opening cut—this past year has been spent mostly at home, as it has for many here on Earth, hence the title track “House On A Hill”. 2020 has been a turbulent year in so many ways, the eerily beautiful “What Now?” captures the feeling of an uncertain future, before gently resolving into the contemplative “Carpe Diem”. Next comes the urgent yet delicate “Butterfly and Snowflakes”, which gives way to the emotive “Skagerrak”, with its beautiful arco bass woven throughout the piece. “Night Turns to Day” features Gewelt alone on acoustic bass—the simplicity, purity and tonal beauty of the piece allows time to cool out before “The Move” takes hold with its driving bass line. The subsequent calm of “Arrival”, followed by the everything-will-workout-in-the-end feeling of “Wherever the Wind Blows” rounds off the album.

Throughout the recording Gewelt’s bass is front and center but never dominating, and there’s plenty of room for the rest of the group to stretch out—and they do! Recorded, mixed and mastered by Tor Magne Hallibakken, the sound quality is outstanding, as has come to be expected from a Resonant Music release. This might just be Gewelt’s best album yet!