Palle Mikkelborg/Jacob Bro/Marilyn Mazur

Strands:  Live at the Danish Radio Concert Hall

ECM

Three generations of Danish jazz greats come together for this concert, recorded in February of 2023 at the Danish Radio Concert Hall. Octogenarian trumpeter and flugelhornist Palle Mikkelborg’s gorgeous tones float spaciously through the hall, buttressed by the supportive and at times individually outspoken on his instrument, the “youngster” of the group, 45-year-old guitarist Jacob Bro, and inventive percussionist, the 68-year-old Marilyn Mazur. Both Mikkelborg and Mazur played with Miles Davis, (the mid-‘80s Aura has a suite composed by Mikkelborg) so it is not surprising that his spirit seeps into these proceedings. All three have considerable history on the ECM label, especially Mikkelborg and Mazur who have collaborated often, beginning in the late ‘70s and more recently Bro and Mikkelborg, which places the percussionist in the middle of their ongoing collaboration.  This may well be the quietest, calmest live performance heard on record, atmospheric sounds enhanced by the acoustic qualities of the hall, and only disrupted by some rumbling and stirring of Mazur’s myriad of percussion. The blending of Mikkelborg’s horn with Bro’s guitar creates mesmerizing harmonics.  In fact, most of these compositions trace to Bro’s albums, Returnings and Gefion.

To be fair, while mostly ethereal and dreamy, the sonics grow dissonant in their rendition of “Returnings” from the 2018 album of the same name that featured Mikkelborg and Bro, and the ever-playful Mazur inserts not only inventive but at times whimsical statements that shake one out of that daydreaming state. She has, judging by the album photos, quite an arsenal that includes an array of bells, xylophone, chimes, gongs, noisemakers, and a conventional drum kit.

The whole tone of the performance though is deeply emotional as it marked the return to the stage for Mikkelborg, who had not performed in recent years. Bro says, “When we walked out on stage it felt like a homecoming.” That degree of warmth is evident in the audience response, respectfully quiet and unabashedly enthusiastic at the conclusion of the pieces.  The opener “Gefion” is clearly a feature for the glowing tones of the trumpeter as one can practically feel a soothing calm fall over the rapt audience. “Oktober” segues seamlessly with Mazur’s subtle rattling giving way to single reverberating, eerie, stark notes from Bro. We don’t really hear Mikkelborg until about five minutes in as he enters quietly blending with Bro’s hazy loops. Mazur begins “Returnings” subtly before aggressively rumbling on her kit as the trumpeter enters with fierce, declarative Miles-like bursts, and Bro departs from his liquid stance to deliver knotty statements in arguably the album’s most notable track.

The title track is the lengthiest at nearly 12 minutes, another showcase for Mikkelborg’s graceful flugelhorn melodies and Bro’s stark but liquid guitar, accented lightly by Mazur with her chimes, bells, and cymbals. “Youth,” mostly a feature for Bro, is every bit as hypnotic, even a bit more so than the opener while the closing “Lyskaster” serves as a brief goodbye kiss with Mikkelborg’s crystalline, but poignant tones. This was an exquisite performance that translates well to recording. Those who were present witnessed a truly special collaboration between these three masters.

• Jim Hynes

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