The Scandinavian drummer Anton Eger has made a name for himself in Europe as a sideman of high demand in that continent’s jazz scene for more than a decade, most notably for Phronesis and Marius Neset. Over here stateside, not many know about Eger but maybe that should change now that he’s made a record of his own, because he made one hell of a first impression with a debut album that bores his initials.
Æ (Edition Records) is nowhere near your typical jazz record even though jazz is embedded in its DNA. Neither is it your typical drummer record even though it’s pretty undeniable that the guy drumming is a fearless daredevil. Understanding that this is his introduction to the world as a leader, Anton Eger carefully crafted a music that’s in its own peg hole; evocative of many, replicative of none. The main appeal of Æ comes not that it’s part electronica, part fusion jazz, part alternative RnB…it smartly grafts the best elements of them all. And all the technology deployed in making this music notwithstanding, Eger’s handcrafted beats play a major role in making this music go.
He also did not cut corners in putting together a band for this album: guitarist Matt Calvert, keyboardist Dan Nicholls and bassist Robin Mullarkey had to have all the chops they possess, else they wouldn’t have been able to execute Anton Eger’s labyrinthine compositions.
“HERb +++ gA” is splotches of chunky jazz chords and choppy rhythms with just enough messiness tossed in to throw off an illusion of a loose jam. Put another way, it’s vivid, audio trippiness. “Oxford Supernova +++ jC” is a smooth slowdown from “HERb,” almost an extension. But Eger is busy as before behind his drum kit, changing tempos and time signatures as casually as sipping a cappuccino. “IOEDWLTO +++ hP” goes even deeper into the chill zone, Mullarkey’s bass providing a harmonic underpinning and a guest sax fluttering about.
“Sugaruzd +++ pT” sets Steely Dan chord progressions to slinky grooves. A lush, synth-created orchestral scenery provides the basic construct of “Never Not +++ kMp.” And “Monolith +++ tR” is odd in that its chugging, 2/4 rhythm is one of the few instances Anton Eger is straightforward in his rhythmic approach but the melody is still strong enough on its own to demand attention.
At the last minute or so of each track are intermissions – ‘interludes,’ as Eger calls them – i.e., drum grooves that he recorded at various times using the voice memo app on his phone, capturing ideas as they pop in his head. Many of these are just as interesting as the main composition performed on the same track. Take for example, the “hH” portion of “?irl MIP +++ hH”: the interlude here is a bass line borrowed from the main vamp of Herbie Hancock’s space jazz odyssey “Ostinato (Suite For Angela)” with Anton Eger meting out embellishments of the eight beats + seven beats per measure on a snare. The latter part of “datn +++ oS” features nifty high hat work tossed in a blender with blasts of keys and sax. And with “Severn B +++ fP,” the “fP” is super funky interlude that has an acoustic bass along for the ride.
Æ is a weird record, but weird in a great way. Avant-garde but never off putting, Anton Eger shows that the exciting possibilities from fusing jazz with other music forms remain far, far from being exhausted.
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