Go back to Aura. That Miles Davis record from the late-1980s that Danish trumpeter Palle Mikkelborg was so significant in the making of is the first thing I wanted to do hearing apropos of something about In the Middle of Nothing.
Characterise the sound in certain ways. It’s obviously Nordic in its spaciousness; quasi classical in its serious demeanour (again another characteristic of much chamber jazz from wherever) and In the Middle of Nothing shares an affinity with ambient sounds often just as successfully developed in art pop and rock by the likes of Jon Hassell, Tangerine Dream and Eno.
There’s also, and a contradiction in terms is a bummer (but words fail me), a secular religiosity in the sheer momentousness of the feel and shape of the airy melodies.
Turn the lights out, turn this up as loud as you can. Close your eyes. Preferably listen in one go for maximum impact.
Danish pianist and composer Carsten Dahl has clearly learned much from Aura.
And there’s almost a ”holy minimalism” to it in addition – like the world of Arvo Pärt especially found on ‘Helios’ and ‘Centaurus.’
I stopped off at this point in the album to go listen again to Tabula Rasa.
As so often you stumble upon the impact of Keith Jarrett at several turns. The sound of the man from Allentown who is 80 next week is also implicit in what Dahl does.
A tribute to and also involving Mikkelborg, now 84, all these 7 tracks were arranged and composed by the Copenhagen born 57 year old Dahl who collaborated with Mikkelborg and others on 2019’s The Solo Songs of Keith Jarrett.
Tune titles refer to Messier 101, a spiral galaxy, also known as the Pinwheel Galaxy; Virgo, a constellation and the name of a galaxy cluster and supercluster; Fornax, again a constellation, also home to the Fornax Cluster of galaxies; Helios, the Sun in Greek mythology; Centaurus, a constellation that’s home to deep-sky objects; Canis Majoris, a constellation that contains one of the largest known stars; and Ton 618 – a distant quasar, notable for its supermassive black hole.
Mikkelborg’s wife harpist Helen Davies makes some telling contributions within the sound – personnel includes saxophonist Fredrik Lundin, bassist Nils Bo Davidsen, drummer Stefan Pasborg, a string sextet and BBC Children’s Choir.
Inevitably because it’s so mystical especially ‘Ton 618’ thoughts of the famous words of Danish philosopher Søren Kierkegaard gnomically intervene:
“Music, like time, is measured but immeasurable, is composed but indivisible.”
Søren Kierkegaard – Either/Or, 1843.
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