Whenever I Seem To Be Far Away

From Norwegian guitarist and composer Terje Rypdal comes this 1974 recording, his third for the then-young ECM label, yet already indicative of a mature voice on both fronts. Featuring a mélange of symphony orchestra, French horn solos, and piano, all of it crowned by the glories of Rypdal’s electric anthems, it teeters between prog-rock and classical allegiances. Drummer Jon Christensen makes star appearances via arrayed percussion on tracks like “The Hunt,” itself an 18-minute soundtrack to a film that exists only as you imagine it, while Sveinung Hovensjø’s gravid bassing evokes an iron cable ready to snap.