"The Only Way to Travel" is the result of what was originally intended as a sax/drum rehearsal session. Petter Wettre and Per Oddvar Johansen had sound technician Øystein Eide load his car with 300 kgs of recording equipment, and set up a makeshift recording studio in Lommedalen. The material for this release was recorded with a minimum of preparations, which has resulted in a fresh sound where spontaneity and improvisation unite and regenerate. All compositions, excluding "26-2" (John Coltrane) and "Chelsea Bridge" (Billy Strayhorn), by Petter Wettre.
Petter Wettre and Per Oddvar Johansen are highly profiled musicians on the Norwegian jazz scene. Together, they have participated in a long line of recordings. Petter Wettre has previously released "Pig Virus" with the Petter Wettre Quartet, "Meet the Locals" and "In Color" with The Trio, to mention a few. Per Oddvar Johansen plays with The Source, and the Close Erase piano trio.
Petter Wettre – saxophones
Per Oddvar Johansen – drums
This session was actually meant to be a rehearsal with a drummer who I have great respect for and who I love to play with, Per Oddvar Johansen. We worked together for a period of time in the Petter Wettre Quartet, recording a CD in 1996, "Pig Virus" (Curling Legs). This CD was nominated for the "Spellemannprisen" for "best jazz recording" for 1996. Unfortunately this group has been inactive in recent years, as my work with Petter Wettre Trio has demanded all my time. Therefore, I contacted Per Oddvar to see if he was interested in playing a very informal session with me.
As I said, this was to be a very informal session, but I mentioned it just the same to a good friend of mine, sound engineer Øystein Eide. He was interested in recording our session, as he hadn't had the chance to work in that situation before. My original intention was to record the music on DAT, for my own use. However, when I came to pick up Øystein on the day of the session, he had 300 kilos of equipment with him. As it turned out, it was well worth the effort to carry everything up the winding path to Per Oddvar's cabin, which, for the occasion, was transformed into a professional recording studio. The music on this CD has had minimal preparation, for the most part. Forms and endings were discussed and decided on, but aside from that, this material is unrehearsed, at least where Per Oddvar is concerned. I had prepared somewhat, and written some small sketches for the occasion. This recording consists of seven compositions: five of mine and two standards.
We start with a Coltrane classic, "26-2". With the exception of some quick sound checks, this was the first music we recorded. We adhere strictly to the form, but I use both the original chord changes and the changes to "Confirmation", which "26-2" is built on.
The next song, "In Memory of...", I wrote a few years ago. It was first performed at the Molde Jazz Festival on July 17, 1997, exactly thirty years to the day after Coltrane's death. Coltrane's album "Interstellar Space" has been a great source of inspiration to me. Then the "Trane ride" is over and we continue with the title track, "The Only Way to Travel". The form of this song is AABA. The A section is built on a series of perfect fourths, while the B section is more melodic and conclusive. The solo section is open, but I continue the use of fourths to launch my solo. Per Oddvar keeps a steady pulse, whereas I play over/under/behind/ahead of the beat as much as I can. For me, this song is a perfect description of how infinite the musical universe is and how lucky we who have the privilege to travel in it are, therefore the title.
"Big Dipper" is the most prepared piece on this recording. It took me some weeks to get this together, especially playing-wise. I wrote this for solo saxophone, and gave my classical influences free rein. The music of Olivier Messian has been a great inspiration to me, and I hope that I've managed to capture some of the spirit of his music in this piece. Eighty percent of this is written and twenty percent is improvised, I leave it up to the listener to figure out what is what.
"Rollercoastin'" is just one of those happy-go-lucky tunes that come along now and then. My intention was to play it as fast as I could and see what I could get out of it. I dedicate this piece to my mentor at the Berklee College of Music, George Garzone.
"Kun ifølge med voksne", ("Parental Guidance Suggested"), is the oldest of the originals on this CD, dating back to 1992. I wrote this piece as a tribute to one of my all time favorite saxophone players, Dave Liebman. It's my version of Lieb's composition, "Gazelle", from his album "Trio + One". Of course I play soprano on this one. This has a kind of "question and answer" form, where we trade four bar phrases on the melody. Per Oddvar provides some of the hippest drumming in the business on this one. I think I even threw in a couple of Liebman licks.
"Chelsea Bridge" was the first tune I worked on as a student at Berklee ('89-'92). It's always nice to play a ballad and this one brings back a lot of good memories from a time that seems long gone. The CD ends with a second version of "26-2". This take has many qualities that the first one didn't, so we decided to use both. This brings us back to where we started, an informal session of good music and fun. I hope you enjoy it as much as we did.
Petter Wettre, Oslo 2000
Petter Wettre Trio, (formerly known as "The Trio") was formed autumn 95, when Petter Wettre joined up with drummer Jarle Vespestad with one common interest: to play in a chordless setting. They were soon joined by Ingebrigt Flaten - bass, and the trio was complete.
6 years and three albums later, Petter Wettre Trio is stil an active unit, but the line up will vary. The trio has included players like; Arild Andersen, Per Oddvar Johansen, Per Zanussi and Jon Christensen.
In the fall 2002 Petter called upon two danes to accompany him on his Scandinavian tour. This included Anders Christensen - bass, and Anders Mogensen - drums. That tour also resulted in the album; "Live at Copenhagen Jazzhouse". Since then, Jonas Westergaard, also Denmark, has replaced Christensen.
In 2000 Petter Wettre was awarded Kongsberg jazz festival´s "Klart Svar" jazz price. In return Petter Wettre put together a quintet, and gave a concert at the 2001 festival.
The 2004 edition of PWQ features Frode Nymo on alto, replaceing guitarist Palle Pesonen from the original line up.
After five years in the trio format, Petter Wettre was ready to move on and expand the musical setting for his music.
Petter Wettre (N) - tenorsax
Frode Nymo (N) - altosax
Haavard Wiik (N) - piano
Per Zanussi (N) - bass
Anders Mogensen (Dk) - drums
We are located in Oslo, Norway. You can contact us via phone, e-mail or post.
PETTER WETTRE
BERGLIOTSV. 1 b
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Household Records
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PHONE: 47-2190 3094
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E-MAIL: householdrecords@petterwettre.com
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RESONANT MUSIC
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MANGLERUD
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