Bayashi - Help is on its Way

Geoffrey Totton, International Music Forum

This is a recording by Ayler Records of Sweden.
These musicians create a feeling of a shaman spirit in the Great Northern Winter Darklands.
An epic struggle between good and evil like something out of The Lord of the Rings.
Then I noticed what was going on with the bass and drums. It was something else.
Bjornar´s approach on the bass is like nothing I have ever heard before. Like a Hendrix of the bass. The closest I have heard is the bass player of Metallica.
Sure bass players this would cost $60 on import but I think this would be money well spent if you feel at a dead end and you are looking for a recording that will open doors for you.
I like the way these musicians explore improvised space together.
Check out Vidar´s flute playing - very edgy like a jungle bird in unspoilt tropical forest. The drums and bass boil underneath - drumming tight and intense. But, again I say - it is the bass that blows me away.
The sax is very expressive. I can hear traces of Coleman and Coltrane here. I love the way Vidar searches for and finds those secret places of the soul.
Drummers please buy this CD. I sure you too will be as excited at Thomas Stronen´s soloing as I am in my trips round Auckland reviewing live music. I have been very angry hearing many pop drummers who just bash and drown out the rest of the band. Stronen is something wonderful. He solos so softly yet is so musical.