Writing about this album should be quite difficult for me, because I lack the detachment that’s supposedly needed for a subjective elaboration. Metaphorically, if I touched the grooves of this vinyl recording, I’d be able to recognize every tiny trace, sound, "unclean" piece of recording, the finger pressing on the black key, on the white, the bow on the string, the brush on the drum skin. I’ve followed this CD’s path since before it was born, as my artistic collaboration with Daniel Karlsson had already begun with his previous album, so I had the chance to listen to many of the tracks before they were recorded, letting images arise in my consciousness: some of them materialized in the video that turned out to be one of my favorites, “Mrs. Mermaid”.
But shall we start at the beginning? I’ll try [she wrote with a smile].
Category Archives: Artiklar och krönikor
Maria Pia De Vito: narrowing the gap
“Remind the gap” concert at the Roma Summer Jazz Festival, September 3rd, 2014
Maria Pia De Vito: voice
Claudio Filippini: piano, keyboards
Luca Bulgarelli: bass
Walter Paoli: drums
There are many gaps that the Empress of the Italian vocal jazz filled in with this precious gig at the Rome Summer Jazz Festival. Starting with being back in concert again with her band from Mind the Gap, her very refined album from 2009 that contained original compositions and covers, from Hendrix to Björk. And while we thought we had just paid the price of a concert ticket, we had instead the privilege of assisting to a reunion, and witness a vibrant joy that filled the stage with twinkling smiles, glances, gestures and playfulness.
The Sirenades by Lina Nyberg: jazz grandeur
An extraordinary woman, as well as a great musician: 16 albums in a 20-year career. And apparently, no desire—or need—to stop. Quite the opposite. This new album is decidedly in anything but a casual or minor key. Despite the unarguable crisis in the buying of non-digital formats in Scandinavia, Nyberg has created an object that really must be held in your hands, read, caressed. Without question, a double CD to be purchased, with its powerful graphics and artistry, thanks also to the photos by Miki Anaguris and illustrations by Matilda Ruta—a concept album that has much to say about the musical and almost metaphysical ability of one of the most important voices in the illustrious Scandinavian panorama.
Kekko Fornarelli’s Italian nu jazz
Sometimes a country feeds on a reverse provincialism, taking for granted and thus nullifying the talents it possesses, that others experience and enjoy at full. Kekko Fornarelli belongs to those who are struggling to be recognized in Italy but on the contrary are loved abroad, where they make international tours. Hopefully this will not be the case for too much longer.
In his latest work, Outrush, Fornarelli expresses much more than a talent for piano playing: the composition is very powerful, new, innovative, free. Each piece a narrative that contains dozens of ideas, a succulent abundance that comes with each new listening without decreasing the smoothness of this album, that captivates you from the very start.
In the best new jazz Svenssonian path, Fornarelli with his fellow accomplished musicians (Giorgio Vendola on double bass and Dario Congedo on drums) creates a unique, innovative, happy world. Seven instrumental tracks and a sung one, so movingly interpreted by guest singer Roberto Cherillo, with whom Kekko has toured half the world.
City Nights: Sweden’s most rockish jazz
A very solid, powerful and conscious debut by City Nights, Swedish band composed by some of the best and most requested Swedish jazz musicians from the younger generation. Andreas Hourdakis, to begin with, guitarist of Magnus Öström (Esbjörn Svensson Trio), Nils Jansson, the most interesting trumpet player of his generation, the great groover Martin Höper on bass, and Chris Montgomery on drums, with his rich and versatile punctuation.
The album touches and immediately goes beyond jazz rock, almost creating a new style, if one had to give a genre definition. Freedom from jazz and rock becomes the most distant point from both poles, making the fusion free from usual schemes. There are elements of rock, indierock, jazz and progressive, often used in an innovative and unprecedented, unexpected way. And the fantastic interplay resulting from the fusion of instruments and inspiration is really the alchemy that makes each piece interesting and easy to remember.
A convincing Daniel Karlsson Trio in Stockholm’s Jazz Temple
Huge expectations for this almost-debut gig of pianist Daniel Karlsson’s trio, probably the most legitimate heir of Esbjörn Svensson in the Scandinavian jazz scene. Actually, their musical paths did often cross as they also played for the same artists. Contrary from Svensson though, who had his own trio from the start, Karlsson has been more embedded in bands rather than going solo, starting with Oddjob, by far one of the most innovative and explosive bands among Nordic jazz. In fact, by coincidence, the very evening of this concert Oddjob won their second Swedish Grammy Award for their latest album, Jazzoo.
Expectations were duly met and actually exceeded in respect to the Das Taxibåt album (reviewed here). In the live performance not only Karlsson’s powerful pianist skills were confirmed or even surpassed but also the intense and joyful complicity between the three musicians was there, with double bassist Kristian Lind proving a truly inspired and stronger talent compared to what the CD would disclose, while Fredrik Rundqvist on drums won enthusiastic applause for a couple of highly catchy and original solos; and this is not easy when you are dealing with an already percussive, rhythmic and accented talent as that of Karlsson.
JK3 or Jacob Karlzon Trio: the best of contemporary jazz crossover on stage in Essen
Another sold out concert for the highest caliber crossover jazz trio around: regardless of your personal taste about music, these three gentlemen really know how to play with elegant perfection and reach a “complex simplicity” that is by no means easy to achieve. And still, you will not stumble into anything resembling a virtuous complacency in the dynamics of the trio, it all rather seems a wonderful game of fraternal complicity between three giants who play with the same naive enthusiasm of three young kids strumming cover songs in the house’s cellar after school. Having never attended a JK3 gig with the previous drummer Jonas Holgersson, there is luckily no way to make comparisons, but the young Ikiz (Turkish but naturalized Swedish) is a phenomenon, a pure instigator, with a couple of gears above the average: his ability to transform and his groove.Actually, to be truthful, it is only the birth certificates the lie about the other two on stage.
Magnus Öström live in Istanbul, liquid boiling energy
Concert at the Salon IKSV, Istanbul, Turkey, January 18, 2014
A completely sold out concert in a city where jazz really beats like few other places in Europe and the world. A musical scene to pay close attention to, and one that pays close attention to what is going on. Turkey is hungry for innovative and quality music. And the age of the listeners is often incredibly young compared to other countries, I have never seen so many boys and girls at a jazz concert, ever. Magnus Öström is really at home here, everything that is related to the Esbjörn Svensson Trio enjoys the status of a loving and warm cult. “Loving" is not an adjective chosen at random, it is different from “adoring”. In fact, the gap between audience and stage is tiny and the liquid boiling energy which abundantly fell on the audience was repaid with delirious shouting, applauding and sighing that no one cared to hold back. I have never experienced anything quite like that at a jazz concert before.
Norwegian revelation saxophonist Marius Neset enchants with his Birds.
Probably, the only possible juxtaposition between the two Norwegian saxophonists Jan Garbarek and Marius Neset is the crimson color cover of their passport. This is said with full equal respect and appreciation for both of them. Garbarek’s icy notes are so distant from the earthy and almost Latin fire of this young dynamic composer and extraordinary saxophonist (tenor and soprano), who is delivering his third album, “Birds”, at the age of 28!
An enveloping work, with frequent changes of rhythm and inspiration, a composition at times incoherent and furious, that gives the impression of Neset being almost unable to tame his own awesome genius. It’s very difficult, if not impossible to get bored or distracted: this album calls for concentration, because of the variety of instruments he has added to his main Scandinavian-British band, Anton Eger (NO) on drums –and co-author of two tracks– Ivo Neame (UK) on piano, Jasper Høiby (DK) on double bass (all three in Phronesis, Høiby’s band: more to come on them soon), and finally Jim Hart (UK) on vibes.
Whatever he writes in the future and for however long his career will be, this album’s title track will always be his “Birdland”. “Birds” contains musical stimuli from every direction, a continuous change of tempo, inspiration, pitch, hue; and yet it is deeply coherent, like a symphony. Neset uses every instrument with creativity and generosity, and he makes his piece progress in an unpredictable way, creating a musical zoo.
Daniel Karlsson Trio, Das Taxibåt: the solid talent of a great pianist
Authoritative, inspired, virtuous, with an attitude. An album finally signed with his name after a long and bright career in the Scandinavian jazz that matters: with Oddjob, one of the most innovative Scandinavian bands of the last decade, and with Magnus Öström (Esbjörn Svensson Trio) for the spectacular album “Searching for Jupiter” [described here]. Karlsson’s career began very early and before the age of 30 he has already won the Swedish Grammy for Oddjob’s debut album; two years later he was awarded with the Swedish “Nobel” for jazz music, winning the “Swedish Jazz Musician of the Year Award”, with which he financed his first solo work, released under the name of Pan-Pan. There hasn’t been an interruption to his career before or after, in fact he has been involved in dozens of other projects with Scandinavian and international stars like Nils Landgren, Ernie Watts, Peter Erskine and Till Brönner.