Above: Electric viola da gambist, Jenny Eriksson, who compose the ‘Swirling Flame’ suite on this album and curated the album’s elements.
A ‘swirling flame’ conjures up timeless imagery that illuminates a dark night, aburns bedside during recovery, brightens a path to meditative peace and perhaps is involved with magic or ritual power.
It also is used in modern technical parlance, describing an engineering method which helps maintain combustion efficiently in engines. Switching between music from the past to modern techniques and traversing many developed genres with turbines of genre-blasting, history-transforming heat is a fiery energy contained within this album’s strengths.
And in a local Arts context it is the title of Elysian Fields’ third album release, inspired third album, reflecting the label given to semi-improvisatory art works of leading Australian wood-fired ceramic artist, Barbara Campbell-Allen OAM, that sparked an idea in the mind of Jenny Eriksson
So these layered meanings and artistic or functional inspirations across time can be recognised to flicker across the latest album of the same name from the inimitable Elysian Fields ensemble. The collection of new and recently commissioned was plus re-arrangement of formerly created works feed the fire of diversity this shifting group of feel-players is quite the excursion for the listener.
Thirteen tracks with plenty of feels in a variegated swoop celebrate the evocative, powerful flickering light that music, creativity, collaboration and the joyous, immersive diversion of performance sans boundaries shine on us.
At the heart of Elysian Fields is seasoned creative and diverse musical collaborator Jenny Eriksson-composer, ensemble-player and holder of the electric viol da gamba. This new instrument’s fiery, enhanced mellow magic amplifies the success of stylistic crossover. It rings with agile, reinforced tone and at times modern looping devices as it delivers gestures from centuries ago to now. The new instrument leads the charge in promoting the creative voices of band members, Eriksson and major Australian compositional voices.
Above: Elysian Fields launch ‘Swirling Flame’ at Johnston St Jazz in Annandale.
This is an album developing sounds from the Renaissance to present day, setting of lyrics and vistas from the across musical history and the globe.
The album begins with a fine acknowledgement of country, sung by violinist Susie Bishop and featuring the words and music of Biripi and Gamillaroi musician and composer, Troy Russell. Musical acknowledgements of country are excellent ways modern musical groups open performances. The extension of that trend to a recording here is a penetrating beginning to the blending of eras, unique patterning of instruments and musical dialogues often described as ‘genre-defying’
As the binary divisions of early music and current is blasted away in the engine room of this project, we next hear a Postlude movement from Jenny Eriksson’s own suite for the ensemble. The dance tracks which form the retro meat and potatoes of this courtly French work (think renovated Marais, the focus composer which is another string to Eriksson’s bow). This work champions the electric viola da gamba, a unique, versatile and proven star of this band.
The historic dance and French musical forms, ingredients in this sprawling work are bound together under the complex time-travelling title of ‘Swirling Flame’, reflecting the non-musical aleatoricism of Barbara Campbell-Allen’s unpredictable wood-fired ceramic glazes.
From the streaks of new musical colour and electric gamba agility afforded this suite, this album also gives voice to the ingenuity, always interesting offerings and beautiful lyrics plus lyricism of blindingly brilliant Australian-born composer Alice Chance. Her work Tetris for electric viol and piano is a shapely duo of gently intensity and newness of interlocking timbres not heard elsewhere.
Chance’s song Shadow, a study in colour and vulnerability or identity is an exquisite commission which first was performed during the pandemic only online. I have been enjoying Susie Bishop’s true-voiced rendering of it on You Tube repeat and as an earworm and shares to friends for years.
It is exciting to have it appear on this special album with so many shades of recovery and eclectic, electric-blended hues. It is an exquisite vehicle for the team of amplified gamba, violin, piano, saxophone, voice, basses and drums which makes up the inimitable Elysian Fields troupe of players. It is also a deserving and stunning choice for the album’s first single of streaming platforms.
Other clever compositional voices from gods various in this album’s progressively woven stylistic and historical Elysium come from within the ensemble’s ranks and across the globe. Matt McMahon’s flame spirals brightly in a bright work for the ensemble, November.
Above: Elysian Fields’ members Jenny Eriksson and Susie Bishop.
Matt Keegan’s nouveau-courtly offering for electric viola da gamba based on the figure of a Queen is intricate, vividly characterised fare, showcasing the virtuosity of Jenny Eriksson and the polyphony possible on the modern viol at the heart of this group’s recent recording.
Bassist Jacques Emery’s new work for the band, heard early on the album (if you are listening chronologically to tracks-greatly recommended here- and not surfing the streaming platforms as tracks separated or out of order) and is a meditative musing that will make or heal any day. The ponderous, but never heavy sonic progression is a pure treat to experience and my favourite for the second single. It is the modern expression of atmosphere that reaches within that we crave right now- and that Elysian Fields is so capable of delivering with supersubtle cohesion.
International element and musical co-operation with this atypical ensemble is demonstrated in a new piece by Icelandic creative Hildigunnur Rúnarsdóttir. Hers is another individual modern voice which burns before us with reinvented, swirling accent. And enables us a detailed premiere via this chameleon ensemble gesturing.
Perhaps a pinnace of the warmth that Swirling Flame shines before us is the duetting of mother and son Jenny Eriksson and Siebe Pogson, in Dark Dreaming for electric gamba and electric bass duo. This work as heard on this album, written by Pogson, was heard in full Elysian Fields ensemble format on Elysian Fields’ debut album. We now hear the drama of being trapped in the unconscious of sleep as traced by the pared down, electric lower string blend only.
This environment, a dreamy exploration on instruments worlds and centuries apart but now enhance by modern transformation encapsulates the burning excellence of the entire album, and the pumping creative and re-creating engine that is Elysia Fields- fired up and firing new sound worlds constantly for us. And the range of musical glazes created and delivered from the fire for us on this album are of unprecedented, surprising and refreshing depths.
We await the earnest colourings of this band’s next album eagerly.
The album ‘Swirling Flame’ features: Susie Bishop – vocals and violin, Matt Keegan – tenor saxophone and alto clarinet, Jenny Eriksson – electric viola da gamba, Matt McMahon – piano, Jacques Emery – double bass, Brett Hirst – double bass, Siebe Pogson – bass guitar.
The album was released 24 October 2025 on the Earshift label (EAR110) www.earshift.com
Media streaming and download: https://s.disco.ac/ezaulrcpepcc
