Rypdal Plugs In Hard and Doesn't Apologize
A hard-hitting power trio that cuts straight through without pretense or elaboration.
By 1985, Terje Rypdal had spent over a decade exploring the intersection of rock and jazz through electric guitar, often in abstract, effects-laden textures. Chaser marks a deliberate shift: he strips away the processing and commits to a raw, muscular trio sound. Working with Bjørn Kjellemyr on bass and Audun Kleive on drums, Rypdal plays direct and aggressive, letting the guitar's natural amplified bite do the talking. The album moves quickly, propelled by tight interplay rather than atmospherics. AllMusic reviewer Michael P. Dawson awarded it four stars, noting the hard-hitting power-trio format that defines the session.
This is Rypdal at a confident point in his career—past the need to prove he could handle fusion's technical demands, now choosing constraint as a strength. The recordings from May 1985 feel purposeful and energetic without sacrificing his harmonic sophistication. He doesn't abandon complexity; instead, he channels it through punchier arrangements and faster tempos. Kjellemyr and Kleive lock in tight, creating a rhythmic foundation that lets Rypdal play with real edge rather than floating over cushioned backgrounds.
Chaser won't appeal to listeners seeking Rypdal's more meditative or experimental work, but for those wanting to hear him engaged with bebop-rooted intensity and modern electric power, this is essential. It sits apart from his ECM catalog not as an outlier but as evidence that he could succeed in the vocabulary of hard-swinging jazz just as readily as in his more expansive sonic territories.
Who's playing
