Another Djabe & Steve Hackett studio album, Freya – Arctic Jam, was created on the fringes of a gig in the Arctic Circle.
To the delight of all fans, the next collaboration between Djabe and Steve Hackett, Freya: Arctic Jam, will be available on 28 February 2025. This time, however, it’s not live recordings of familiar tracks, but brand new tracks recorded in the first half of 2024. The album was made in a similar way to the two Sardinia albums. However, this time the inspiration didn’t come from the sunny, warm south, but from the dark, cold north of Europe at the Bodø Jazz Festival.
Jazz in the Arctic Circle
Bodø is a Norwegian city in the far north, beyond the Arctic Circle. It is home to around 50,000 Norwegians with a passion for art and culture. It’s no coincidence that Bodø has been selected as the European Capital of Culture for 2024. The Bodø Jazz Open Festival is held here at the beginning of the year, and for more than 13 years, Scandinavian and international jazz musicians have come to the Arctic Circle to delight audiences with their music. In recent years, the festival has hosted the likes of Procol Harum, the Billy Cobham Band, Blood, Sweat & Tears, Larry Carlton, Steve Gadd and Ane Brun.
Djabe had been in talks with the organisers in Norway for some time about performing at the Bodø Jazz Festival. Shortly after the Covidh closure, their contact attended two concerts in Hungary where Steve was also involved. Not surprisingly, it was Steve who invited Djabe to perform with him at the festival in January 2024. New negotiations led to two performances at the festival last year. The first in the Svömmehallen as a joint Djabe & Steve Hackett performance and a second performance for Djabe in Dama Di, where Steve was also to be on stage as a guest musician.
Concert rehearsals as the basis for the album
The musicians had three days in the Svömmehallen to prepare for the performance. Much more time than this well-rehearsed ensemble needed. So Attila suggested that they use the time to record some jams together, as they had done in Sardinia. Tamás, the bass player, had already done some preliminary work and brought along some ideas that served as the basis for the resulting improvisations. But they didn’t just play music. The band went on little excursions to find inspiration and soak up the atmosphere of the wild north. They visited a Stone Age restaurant and experienced two violent winter storms. All these impressions flowed into the three tracks 4, 5 and 7 and formed the basis for Freya – Arctic Jam.
But that wasn’t enough for an entire album. So, on his return to Hungary, Tamás met up with drummer Peti Kaszás and the rhythm section recorded more bass and drum improvisations. He sent the recordings to Steve and the others, and gradually the other musicians’ parts came back to Tamás, who, as with the previous projects, mixed all the recordings and completed the album.
Only one change in the band
There was only one change in the band. Zoltán Bubenyak is the new man on keyboards. Otherwise everything remained the same: Attila Égerházi (guitar, percussion) and Tamás Barabás (bass) belong to the core of Djabe. Áron Koós-Hutás was already there with his trumpet on the first trip to Sardinia. Drummer Péter Kaszás joined the band shortly afterwards and played drums on the second Sardinia album.
Freya – the songs in detail
In The Silence
(Tamás Barabás, Péter Kaszás) – 8:26
An atmospheric opening opens the album and I hear the familiar, unmistakable sound of Djabe, but these are different colours – Norwegian. As the title suggests, it’s a quiet track with a harmonic bass and a nice Hackett solo in the second half. I immediately feel at home and let the music take me on a relaxed journey.
Freya
(Tamás Barabás, Péter Kaszás) – 05:26
The title track begins with a pleasant rhythm carried by drums and bass, with the trumpet joining in early on. This is one of the few djabe songs with vocals – breathy vocals by Péter Kaszás. Zoltán Bubenyak shines here with a very successful piano part. At just over five minutes, this is the shortest track and a pleasant song that would have made a good single release.
Stone Age Tea
(Tamás Barabás, Péter Kaszás)
Stone Age Tea alludes to the band’s visit to the Stone Age restaurant. Passages with a clear jam character dominate. The players take turns with their parts and, in keeping with the theme, the runs seem rougher and more improvised than on the first two tracks.
Whispers In The Wood
(Tamás Barabás, Zoltán Bubenyak, Attila Égerházi, Steve Hackett, Péter Kaszás, Áron Koós-Hutás)
The first of three songs that came out of the jams in the Svömmerhallen. At the beginning I am captivated by what I consider to be a ‘thoughtful’ jazzy beginning. Then a surprising change to a lively guitar passage – a bit harsh for my taste, especially as it then returns to a slow jam with Steve’s guitar, which then develops into something really interesting. The last part returns to the upbeat theme and ends powerfully.
Sliding Trees Wood
(Tamás Barabás, Zoltán Bubenyak, Attila Égerházi, Steve Hackett, Péter Kaszás, Áron Koós-Hutás) 9:17
Sliding trees wood is a quiet track with a relaxed guitar line. After an introduction, Steve surprises us with a little harmonica solo, which is followed a little later by a strong guitar part. For me this is perhaps Freya’s strongest track. Rather slow and very harmonious with lots of good solos and some big and small surprises. I can’t imagine ‘Sliding Trees Wood’, but when I listen to it, it’s easy to imagine snow-covered hills and a starry night sky with the northern lights dancing to the music.
The Lost Ship
(Tamás Barabás, Péter Kaszás) 6:06
A funky, bass-driven rhythm provides the ideal playground for Tamás and Péter to show off their diverse skills. Those who like to follow interesting bass lines or admire the drummer’s variations and fills will get their money’s worth. But the other musicians also shine with their instrumental passages. The end comes far too quickly, it could have gone on a bit longer.
A Storm Is Brewing
(Tamás Barabás, Zoltán Bubenyak, Attila Égerházi, Steve Hackett, Péter Kaszás, Áron Koós-Hutás) 10:26
The gathering storm is somewhat calmer with slow, precisely placed sound sequences and entries. This also applies to Steve’s solo, which is wonderfully varied. But also the contributions of Zoltán on keyboards, Áron on trumpet and Attila on guitar shine with wonderful melodic moods.
All in all:
The good news: they can still do it. It’s the typical djabe sounds, backed up by Steve’s guitar work. The sound is still the same easy flowing ambient jazz, carried by a strong rhythm section and spiced up with guitar and trumpet solos. Only the keyboards show a new signature. Steve is once again an equally important member of the band and his guitar work blends seamlessly into the structure of the instruments. Fans of the Sardinia albums will immediately feel at home. Those looking for something new will not find it here.
But it is not a repeat of the Sardinia albums. There is a different mood here. Instead of sun-drenched, hot landscapes, there are songs about windswept coastlines and snow-covered forests swaying in the wind. A successful album that I recommend to any friend of Djabe and I hope that Djabe and Steve find time to jam a little more often.
Formats
Freya will be released on vinyl and 4 track reel to reel tape on 14 February 2025 as a two disc set (2 x 180 gr LP, GR-176), with the seven new tracks occupying three of the four sides. The fourth side will contain three additional live tracks (Beginning Of Legends, The Magic Stag, Golden Sand) as a bonus. The CD version will be released two weeks later. It contains a CD with the seven audio tracks and a DVD with a lot of extra material. This includes a 5.1 mix of the album, four additional live bonus tracks (Beginning Of Legends, The Magic Stag, Golden Sand, Iceland) and a documentary video of the Arctic Jam in Bodø as well as some live video recordings (Györ June 2023).
Author: Zoltan Kemelen
Freya: Arctic Jam will be released on 28 February and can be pre-ordered via AmazonUK, AmazonFR, AmazonDE, JPC (Germany) and of course directly via CherryRed. It is also available in the Djabe webstore.
Djabe & Steve Hackett – Line-Up
Steve Hackett – guitar, harmonica
Tamás Barabás – bass guitar, vocal, guitar, tabla, synth program
Attila Égerházi – guitar, percussion
Péter Kaszás – drums, vocal
Áron Koós-Hutás – trumpet, flugelhorn
Zoltán Bubenyák – keyboards
CD
In the Silence
Freya
Stone Age Tea
Whispers of the Woods
Sliding Trees
The Lost Ship
A Storm is Brewing
Blu-ray
5.1 MIX
In the Silence
Freya
Stone Age Tea
Whispers of the Woods
Sliding Trees
The Lost Ship
A Storm is Brewing
Live audio extras
Beginning of Legends
The Magic Stag
Golden Sand
Island
Live Video extras
Filmed in concert Győr, Hungary, 19 June 2023
Camino Royale
Ace of Wands
Tale
The Carpet Crawlers
Documentary
Arctic Jam
Links:
Life Is A Journey: The Sardinia Tapes – review
Back To Sardinia – review
Djabe website
Freya: Arctic Jam will be released on 28 February and can be pre-ordered via AmazonUK, AmazonFR, AmazonDE, JPC (Germany) and of course directly via CherryRed. It is also available in the Djabe webstore.
Djabe & Steve Hackett – Line-Up
Steve Hackett – guitar, harmonica
Tamás Barabás – bass guitar, vocal, guitar, tabla, synth program
Attila Égerházi – guitar, percussion
Péter Kaszás – drums, vocal
Áron Koós-Hutás – trumpet, flugelhorn
Zoltán Bubenyák – keyboards