Search - Terje Rypdal :: Odyssey

Instantly recognizable, hard to categorize

m_noland | Washington, DC United States | 01/23/2003

(4 out of 5 stars)

""Odyssey" was a recording that Norwegian guitarist Terje Rypdal made with his road band. While it is usually categorized as fusion jazz, it utterly unlike the virtuostic overplaying typical of that genre. If it is reminiscent of anything, it is some of the work of Miles Davis, in that musician's downplaying of "chops" in favor of spare soloing inside fairly skeletal frameworks.These pieces tend to be built on similar lasts: a repeated bass vamp; organ or synth laying down chords; drums essentially for coloration; and a kind of counterpoint or call-and-response between Rypdal's biting electric guitar tone and Torbjorn Sunde's trombone.Contra to one of the previous reviews, the 26 minute "Rolling Stone," the most rock-oriented track on the original 2-disk lp, is not included on the single disk CD for reasons of space."

Dark Unrelenting Rypdal

Jeff Gower | 02/08/2008

(5 out of 5 stars)

"It was on "Odyssey" that Terje's unique voice hit its stride. This is one of the most unique, original albums ever made. Dark, mysterious, intelligent, virtuosic music indeed - and Terje's guitar is relentlessly soaring and crying as if it were an anguished human voice. There's never been a guitarist like Terje Rypdal."

No "ROLLIN STONE"?

PlainsRocker | 08/30/2009

(1 out of 5 stars)

"it is simple, If "Rollin Stone" is not on cd FORGET IT! The piece is the reason for getting album! How they would excluded it is beyond me. Real downer. It would be like getting "Electric Ladyland" and finding out "Voodoo Child" was excluded!"