Der renommierte schwedische Jazzgitarrist Kasper Agnas, der zusammen mit seinem Bruder Mauritz erst kürzlich im Ensemble von Emil Strandberg mitwirkte, bringt Mitte des Monats ein neues Live-Album heraus. “Grain Live” präsentiert ein drei Tracks umfassendes Set mit Material seines vor zwei Jahren erschienenen Albums “Grain” (Haphazard Music). Auf den hier vorliegenden Versionen liegt der Fokus ganz auf dem Minimalismus und den meditativen Aspekten der tendenziell offenen Kompositionen. Das Album erscheint als CD und Download bei Frim Records.

“It’s unfortunately rare for an improviser, especially in a solo context, to concentrate on one idea, a single angle of attack, and to work that idea deeply, to discover hidden jewels within a relatively “narrow” range and further, to surprise the listener with unexpected divergencies. Agnas, in the three selections from a live event presented here, does this beautifully. On ‘1992’, he places his guitar on his lap and approaches it as a kind of dulcimer, generating a strong and captivating rhythmic attack. Just as you think you have it figured out, he shifts pitches into a more microtonal area, opening hitherto unsuspected doorways. ‘Mirrored Memories’ moves to a very different sound world, Agnas gently striking the neck of his guitar with a soft mallet, creating floating, organ-like tones. But again, about two-thirds of the way through, he changes direction, roughly hitting the strings with the mallet stick, resulting in a harsher, more bracing environment scarcely hinted at in the previous sounds.

Agnas begins ‘Far Away, Closer’ with jangly chords suspended in time, perhaps recalling aspects of John Fahey or Loren Connors, very thoughtfully phrased and positioned, each set of two or three allowed to linger for consideration. About halfway through, however, things morph into a less solid, more warped space; one feels the ground shifting beneath one’s feet. Later still, CD-skipping effects join the fray, rendering any smug, presumed understanding of the situation on the part of the innocent listener absurd. In Agnas’ hands, the electric guitar continues to reveal undreamt of possibilities”. (Liner Notes von Brian Olewnick)