PRESS TEXT

Kasper Skullerud Værnes and Andreas Wildhagen has played together for ten years as of 2018. They formed a duo shortly after meeting, and quickly realized that the power and subtleness of the sax and drums duo format was worth further explorations. Through the years and in various ensembles and projects such as KNYST! (trio with bassist and Nakama founder Christian Meaas Svendsen,) and Paal Nilssen-Love Large Unit, the duo has grown and developed a highly flexible and telepathic interplay. This is their first release as a duo, and a solid document of the strong communication between the two.

For Kasper and Andreas the duo has always worked as a playground where impulses and ideas are explored with a common set of core values. They form a volcanic and dynamic duo, where loud and intense expressions meets subtle dialogues (at least occasionally). Recorded during a rehearsal period in 2016. There are five tracks on the album, most of the music is made up on the spot.

TRACK LIST
1. Jord og muld
2. Magma
3. Ødet
4. Skysoveren
5. Grus gjennom luft

PERSONNEL
Kasper Skullerud Værnes - saxophones
Andreas Wildhagen - drums and percussion

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REVIEWS

Felthat

Some albums are made on the spot just to catch the energy of the momentary lapse of almost telepathic communication. Kasper and Andreas are great improvisers and can communicate with each other seamlessly. The dynamic free jazz they offer on this album is a good interlude for a good hypertense waking up moment. Groovy and mutually self-igniting, they don't discover much but they have the energy of punk music put into a great context and great abilities to prove so.

Vital Weekly

An album of duets by two Norwegian performers: Kasper Værnes (saxophones) and Andreas Wildhagen (drums, percussion). They perform together for ten years. Also, they participate in some identical ensembles and projects like Knyst!, a trio with Nakama founder Christian Meass Svendsen plus participate in Paal Nilssen-Love ́s Large Unit. They soon became a duo after their first meeting, exploring ideas and possibilities of saxophone and drums. With ‘Troposgrafien’ they make their debut. Recordings for this debut took place in 2016, during a rehearsal period at the Norwegian Academy of Music in Oslo. In five improvisations they give way to diverse aspects of their collaboration and they are all moving between extremely loud outbursts and subtler dialogues. ‘Magma’ for example is a very wild and raw exercise - like one continuous eruption - with very intense interaction between the two. In contrast, the next improvisation shows them from their introvert side. Also in a subtle interplay, they reach a satisfying intensity and togetherness. Throughout their explorations, that differs in dynamics and energy, show we are dealing here with two excellent improvisers who take risks in their communicative and dynamic improvisations. (DM)