Bifrost

...The sound is tremendous, as are the performances...To these ears, (Moulder's aesthetic) is probing and kaleidoscopic.
-JazzTimes

For the follow up to his epic 2006 release, Trinity, Chicago guitarist John Moulder presents a collaboration with the critically acclaimed Norwegian jazz musicians - saxophonist Bendik Hofseth, and bassist Arild Andersen, the French Academie du Jazz's "2009 European Jazz Musician of the Year." Along with his longtime bandmates Paul Wertico on drums and Brian Peters on electric bass and programming, Moulder melds both musical cultures into a seamless sonic landscape. Moulder's suite "Cold Sea Triptych" is exceptional, and highlights the profound musical connection that the quintet displays throughout the session.

Production Info:

Produced by Brian Peters & John Moulder
Recorded by Brian Peters, 1/05, Chicago, IL
Additional recording by Reidar Skor at
7 Etage, Oslo, Norway, 9/05
Mixed by Brian Peters, 4/09
Mastered by Danny Leake & Brian Peters
Cover photography by Forest Woodward
Design and layout by John Bishop

Reviews of Bifrost

All Music Guide (Adam Greenberg)
At the beginning of Bifrost, the sound from John Moulder and his half-American, half-Norwegian quintet is fairly exploratory, ambient. By the end of that first title track, though, the sound has developed into full electric guitar mania. Moulder has his way with his guitar, to say the least. Quickly going into the next piece, though, Moulder and th ...

jazzChicago.net (Brad Walseth)
The burning rainbow and Norse bridge to the afterlife - "Bifrost" is an especially apt title for guitarist John Moulder's new release given the musician's spiritual nature (he is, after all, a Catholic priest) and also due to the fact that Norweigian musicians Arild Andersen (acoustic bass) and Bendik Hofseth (tenor sax) play prominent roles. Ander ...

All About Jazz.com (John Kelman)
A longtime member of ex-Pat Metheny Group drummer Paul Wertico's trio, enough has already been written about John Moulder's double life as jazz guitarist and ordained priest. Bifrost is Moulder's follow-up to the ambitious and eclectic Trinity (Origin, 2006), where the guitarist's spirituality became a touchstone for music ranging from the ethereal ...

JazzChicago.net (Brad Walseth)
Guitarist John Moulder captivated the Green Mill crowd last weekend as he performed tracks from his recent release Bifrost (pronounced "bee-frost" - see our review here) along with material from his previous albums. Moulder was backed, as usual, by longtime associate - drummer Paul Wertico. Brian Peters - who produced Bifrost played electric fretle ...

Chicago Tribune (Howard Reich)
The Green Mill Jazz Club doesn't usually fall to a hush on a rowdy Friday night, but it did as midnight approached. With guitarist John Moulder leading an inspired quintet, the music-making often achieved a quiet serenity, bringing a capacity audience to a whisper. There's simply no way to converse when music of such profundity and grace is unfo ...

Chicago Tribune (Howard Reich)
Top 10 Innovative Jazz Releases of 2009 For the past 20 years or so, excellent guitarists have been plentiful in Chicago, and Moulder ranks high among them. On "Bifrost," he offers some of the most profound work of his career, alternating vastly scaled tone poems with exquisitely delicate, spiritual pieces. His work only deepens with time. ...

Downbeat (John Ephland)
***1/2 stars The first thing one may notice is Moulder's penchant for going back and forth between his acoustic and electric guitars. That he plays his six- an 12-string acoustics in a manner that at times might recall Ralph Towner's music with Jan Garbarek (thanks to the full-bodied tenor saxophone sounds of Bendik Hofseth) is not surprising ...

Cadence (David Franklin)
The cool, soundscape beginning of the album belies what's to follow, because by its end, the strident mix of blaring, howling, and crashing instruments generates a climax of powerful intensity. Between those extremes are many other moments of peaceful serenity contrasted with intense passion. John Moulder switches between his acoustic and electric ...

All About Jazz (David Rickert)
It's probably inevitable that any review of any of John Moulder's recordings will mention that he is a Catholic priest. Not only is this an interesting dichotomy for most of us to reconcile?a century ago, people in Moulder's profession were calling jazz the devil's music?but it's also an indication that, just maybe, in exchange for his service the ...

JazzTimes (Steve Greenlee)
Guitarist John Moulder's new album belongs on ECM. It has the distant, icy sound of a Jan Garbarek record, and it builds its layers like one of Terje Rypdal's. Bifrost is a vast, expansive piece of work?a landscape of wide-open spaces and big skies with a decidedly Scandinavian feel (even if Moulder is based in Chicago). The title track, which o ...