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| Anders Helmerson - The Exception And Not the Rule by Michele Wilson-Morris Marching to the beat of his own drum, Anders Helmerson truly exemplifies what it means to be the exception and not the rule. From music to medical school and back to music, Helmerson is a well rounded artist who let his creativity take him to new heights which ultimately resulted in him creating his own genre of music which he dubs Progressive Fusion; a combination of long songs with virtuosos performed in complicated time signatures, elaborate melodies and harmonies that are built on pentatonic scales that are neither major nor minor. This musical mastermind fuses jazz and rock to create a sound that amazes listeners with the power of superior technique and great composing. His success was far from overnight, however. Born in Sweden in 1959, Helmerson studied classical music in Sweden and Denmark while playing in various short-lived bands in the 1970s. He recalls a time, while studying in Stockholm he recorded a few electronic music with two friends of which some of his teachers wanted to hear, "they insisted on hearing it, so I played it for them, once I turned the tape recorder off, they stared at me. They said absolutely nothing. A couple of days later I was dismissed from school." Helmerson took a steady self-imposed exile from music and composing altogether in 1981, after a failed attempt with "The End of Illusion, " his debut album. He went on to attend medical school in Sweden, then worked as a surgeon in Copenhagen and finally as a cruise ship doctor to realize that his true passion lay, with music. Through his travels, Helmerson would make his new home in Rio de Janeiro, and it is here that he revitalized his love for music. The array of Brazilian music coupled with the backing from one of Brazil's premier progressive labels, "Som Interior Productions, " Helmerson, recorded the album, "Fields of Inertia, " of which he described as "having the classical influences with a blend of techno." Fast forward eight years later and Helmerson is proud to release his five track album, "Triple Ripple, " which he was able to masterfully compose by drawing on his love for synthesizers and progressive music. With Bryan Beller on bass and Marco Minnemann on drums, this jazz rock fusion is a tour de force that truly radiates with his progressive fusion genre. Anders Helmerson's music seems to change with the time and thus he cannot be packaged in a box. His sound is unique and his creativity is limitless as evidenced with his creation of progressive fusion. With his relentless energy and steady fusion of synthesizers, anyone with an appreciation of testing and pushing the limits is sure to enjoy his inimitable style. When asked his opinion of Triple Ripple, he eloquently stated, "1, 876 bars measured to perfection. Making of Triple Ripple is done. It was a real journey." With his talent and ability to invent new genres and the luck that makes turns a musical flop into a cult-like success, Anders Helmerson's journey is almost certainly just beginning. write your comments about the article :: © 2010 Jazz News :: home page |