The Eternal Traveller

by Jim ToddBordering on being a mere curiosity in Niels-Henning Ørsted Pedersen's prodigious output, this 1984 session is partially redeemed by some respectable trio work that offsets the more questionable inclusions. Chief among these are the opening and closing snippets of the Danish bass virtuoso rattling off Niccolò Paganini's "Perpetual Motion." A stiff challenge for violinists, NHØP acquits himself masterfully on the high-velocity workout, but what's the point? These sterile, technical exercises should be left to the Yngwie Malmsteens of the world. NHØP's two young daughters singing a Danish nursery song also comes across as self-indulgent, while the performance of "Auld Lang Syne" is not much more than filler. NHØP's gifts and personality are featured more effectively when he settles in with fellow Danes Ole Kock Hansen on piano and Lennart Gruvstedt on drums. Still, while the bassist's wonderful tone -- singing, throbbing, earthy -- is captured and presented well, Gruvstedt and Hansen are too often left in the background rather than being allowed to perform as participants in a fully integrated unit. This is a serious miscalculation. A player of NHØP's calibre doesn't need others to step back in order to shine; in fact, his renown comes from his skills as an accompanist and integrating influence. As for Hansen and Gruvstedt, they acquit themselves well under the circumstances and leave the impression they would be more than capable of combining impressively with NHØP in a setting where all three could communicate as equal contributors.