Circles, by Friends & Neighbors

Circles

by Friends & Neighbors

supported by

	/

Streaming + Download

Includes unlimited streaming via the free Bandcamp app, plus high-quality download in MP3, FLAC and more.

Purchasable with gift card

€7 EUR or more
Compact Disc (CD) + Digital Album
Includes unlimited streaming of Circles via the free Bandcamp app, plus high-quality download in MP3, FLAC and more.

ships out within 3 days

Purchasable with gift card

€13.90 EUR or more

	1.	Cecil 05:41
	2.	Circles 06:44
	3.	Ghost March 05:51
	4.	Son 08:17
	5.	Charles 05:55
	6.	Hymn Infinitum 03:33
	7.	Latin Phonetics 06:38

about

Scandinavian powerhouse Friends & Neighbors make an auspicious return with Circles, their sixth full-length release, brimming – as you might expect from an outfit borrowing its moniker from a lesser-known Ornette Coleman classic – with dexterous, hard-edged improvisations, unapologetically taking influence from the fearless New Thing movement of the 1960s and early 70s.
But Friends & Neighbors’ bold mandate has always extended beyond the realms of mere homage. Releases such as No Beat Policy (Øra Fonogram, 2011), What’s Wrong? (Clean Feed, 2016) and The Earth Is # (Clean Feed, 2021) testify to the band’s remarkable propensity for reshaping the seismic innovations of Archie Shepp, John Coltrane and Pharoah Sanders, to instigate incendiary and decidedly contemporary admixtures bristling with vital energy and invention, brokering a robust accordance between reverence and insurgency.
On Circles, André Roligheten (tenor saxophone), Thomas Johansson (trumpet), Oscar Grönberg (piano), Jon Rune Strøm (double bass) and Tollef Østvang (drums and percussion) – fresh from duties with formidable names including Gard Nilssen’s Acoustic Unity, Trondheim Jazz Orchestra, Cortex, Universal Indians and Paal Nilssen-Love’s Large Unit – reconvene for what is arguably their finest offering yet. Each musician here contributes stunning arrangements, liberating the collective in demarcating a succession of clandestine pathways bridging swinging bop, kinetic extemporisation and melodic balladry. Barnstormers such as ‘Ghost March’ and the title-track resurrect the impish spirituality of Albert Ayler and Cecil Taylor with courageous unions of investigative abstraction and gospel-tinged lyricism, while ‘Hymn Infinitum’ slows the pace via its misty-eyed, film-noir-type lullaby
While Friends & Neighbors evince a clear reverence for the past, Circles sees them remain entirely courageous in their treatments of it. By adopting, and then adapting, the trailblazing jazz subversions of the 60s, they follow the radical modus operandi demarcated by their illustrious predecessors, reconnoitring uncharted terrains, while affording an occasional adoring glance in the rear view mirror.

credits

released January 26, 2024

André Roligheten tenor saxophone
Thomas Johansson trumpet
Oscar Grönberg piano
Jon Rune Strøm double bass
Tollef Østvang drums and percussion

Tracks 1 by Oscar Grönberg (TONO/NCB) | Tracks 2, 5 and 7 by Tollef Østvang (TONO/NCB) | Track 3 by Thomas Johansson (TONO/NCB) | Track 4 by Jon Rune Strøm (TONO/NCB) | Track 6 by André Roligheten (TONO/NCB)

Recorded December 14th and 15th, 2022 by Dag Erik Johansen at Athletic Sound, Halden, Norway | Mixed by Ingar Hunskaar | Mastered by Fridtjof Lindeman
Produced by Friends & Neighbors | Executive production by Pedro Costa for Trem Azul | Design by Travassos

license

about

Clean Feed Lisbon, Portugal

Clean Feed Records is a jazz record label founded in Lisbon, Portugal, in 2001

www.cleanfeed-records.com

contact / help

Contact Clean Feed

Streaming and
Download help

Shipping and returns

Redeem code

Report this album or account

If you like Circles, you may also like:

Mazzarella / Håker Flaten / Ra - What You Seek is Seeking You
by Nick Mazzarella Trio

supported by 10 fans who also own “Circles”
go to album
Painters Winter
by William Parker

supported by 9 fans who also own “Circles”

On "Painters Winter", William Parker and company explore some fascinating musical spaces, a set of songs that stretch out and expand in a way that ably demonstrates both the players' impressive skills and Parker's exceptional gifts as a composer. rikm
go to album
Amaryllis
by Mary Halvorson

supported by 9 fans who also own “Circles”

adventurous music with a distinct concept and expert rendition and interplay with the band members.Edgy and warm in equipoise . sagov
go to album
FELIX
by Nim Sadot

Jazz bassist Nim Sadot pays homage to the life of his his late grandfather, a Polish artist who escaped a Soviet labor camp. Bandcamp New & Notable Sep 1, 2022
go to album
Elephant and a barbar
by Ichiro Fujiya & Takeshi Kurihara

featured on Bandcamp Radio Apr 16, 2019
go to album
The Defector
by Henry Spencer

Trumpeter Harry Spencer’s orchestral modern jazz has cinematic scope, inspired here by dissidents throughout history. Bandcamp New & Notable Oct 3, 2023
go to album
Being & Becoming
by Peter Evans

supported by 9 fans who also own “Circles”

this is incredible original music with great creativity and unique approach to ensemble playing mixed with free form improvisation braddutzcollection
go to album