Midweek pick, June 7th 2023: Bekken & Steinbru

Bekken & Steinbru: Jungle One Jungle Two Jungle Blues (self-released, digital album)

Inga-Mei Steinbru: drums, percussion

Tor Einar Bekken: piano

Tor Einar Bekken is a pianist and multiinstrumentalist adept in many strains of jazz related idioms, from the tradtionally rooted to excursions into freer landscapes, but the blues runs deep in almost everything he does. Having performed and recorded, often under the name Dr. Bekken, since the mid 90s, he also seems to have fully embraced the possibilities that digital platforms like Bandcamp can offer. Since Januray 2022, he has released over a dozen albums and seemingly off-the-cuff recordings.

His latest release, Jungle One Jungle Two Jungle Blues, is a mostly improvised collaboration with the talented drummer Inga-Mei Steinbru, who is currently a student at the renowned jazz program at the Norwegian University of Science and Technology in Trondheim. Recorded live on May 22. of this year using only one microphone, Bekken himself has offered the work of Don Pullen and Milford Graves as one source of inspiration behind the project. While one can certainly hear why, there is also a lot more going on in the music these two create together, too.

On “Jungle One”, Steinbru opens with a series of muted cymbal hits and gentle taps, while Bekken plays trickles and runs. Before long, they build up steam, Steinbru’s wave-like drumming and cymbals crashing firmly but not violently against Bekken’s piano runs, until they segue into a steady beat and bouncy chords towards the final part. “Jungle Two” is a lot more vigorous from the get-go, an exciting torrent of smashing drums, splashing cymbals, piano stabs and hammered chords that eventually settle into a gentle stream. Closing off the set is a lively interpretation of Jelly Roll Mortons’ “Jungle Blues”.