Composition Over Spontaneity: Mathias Eick's Structured Turn
Skala is scripted where his earlier work was open, favoring melody and motif over the free swing of modern jazz.
Recorded over two sessions in late 2009 and early 2010, Skala marked a deliberate shift in Mathias Eick's approach to leading a band. Working with Audun Erlien on bass, Andreas Ulvo on piano, Tore Brunborg on tenor saxophone, and dual drummers Gard Nilssen and Torstein Lofthus, Eick built an ensemble capable of tight interplay—and he used it. This was composition first. Melodies and motifs anchor nearly every track, and the arrangements rarely drift into open-ended exploration. Gard Nilssen's drumming pulls toward straightforward 4/4 time; the overall effect is almost more structured pop-jazz than the freewheeling modern jazz Eick had explored on earlier work.
When Eick does solo, he's economical—precise lines that move through the arrangements without demanding the music reshape itself around his voice. Brent Burton of JazzTimes caught the tension plainly: is this jazz at all, or horn-laden pop with jazz musicians? It's a fair question. The record never settles into swing the way jazz tradition might expect. Instead, it's careful, composed, and sometimes feels constrained by its own orderliness.
In the context of Eick's own catalog, Skala represents a more cautious moment—not failure, but a deliberate choice to privilege structure over spontaneity. It's the sound of a talented writer learning to build rooms rather than tear walls down. For listeners wanting free-flowing trumpet over rhythm section interplay, this isn't the record. For those interested in how a strong melodic sensibility can reshape a jazz ensemble, it's worth the sit.
Who's playing
Audun Erlienbass
Andreas Ulvopiano
Tore Brunborgtenor saxophone
Mathias Eicktrumpet
Torstein Lofthusdrums
Gard Nilssendrums
Morten Qvenildkeyboard
