Stockholm (SE)

Feb 13 2020

Best of 2019 #09: Goran Kajfes Tropiques – “Into the Wild”

 

Goran Kajfeš doesn’t fuse together different music forms so much as view them all as interconnected motions in one, long intricate dance.  The trumpeter waltzes, foxtrots and tangos with the folk musics of Turkey, Sweden, the Balakans, Africa, and America with no change in dance partner, and with a fluidity that sees old-school psychedelic jazz-rock, new-school avant garde, and a timeless ballad as different facets of the same, synchronized motion.  The modern jazz and improvised music scene has revealed itself to be as diverse as any art form on the planet; Goran Kajfeš embraces and embodies that truth.

But his world-hopping expressionism is just part of this music’s charismatic appeal.  It’s as much to do with the trumpeter’s talent for bringing the same energy and introspection to his sound, regardless of whether he’s instituting a deep groove or an ambient drone.  There’s a vitality to it at all times like the beating of a heart at first love, and a centered calm like a heart that is one with its surroundings, its beat in sync with the pulse of the world.  Kajfeš’ music is varied, nuanced, strange and obscure, and the culmination of the influences and approach results in music with an addictive personality and one that is supremely fun.  The music of Goran Kajfeš is essential, and some of the best stuff the new century of jazz has to offer.

Your album personnel:  Goran Kajfeš (trumpet, Moog synthesizer, Make Noise 0-coast), Alexander Zethson (piano, Crumar Organ, Korg MS-20), Johan Berthling (acoustic bass), Johan Homegard (drums, percussion) and Christer Bothén (bass clarinet).

Released on Headspin Recordings.

Music from Stockholm, Sweden.

I wrote about the album for The Bandcamp Daily.

Listen | Read more | Available at:  Bandcamp

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Dec 27 2017

Best of 2017 #12: Goran Kajfes Subtropic Arkestra – “The Reason Why Vol.3” (Headspin Recordings)

 

This final installment of The Reason Why trilogy ends like it began… singing with joy, dancing to a groove, and reflecting the vision that the world of music is a vast place that should be celebrated for its diversity even while treating the influences as if only a couple notes can traverse the distances between.  Goran Kajfeš Subtropic Arkestra morphs between sounds that trace to Swedish, Turkish, Balkan, New York, South American, African and UK roots, and it’s anybody’s guess whether it’s gonna get expressed as a psychedelic groove, a minimalist drone, a pop music smile or anything else in between and out to the fringes.  Kajfeš has got his trumpet contributing to a number of projects, all quite different from one another, and that creative elasticity is why he’s one of the most exciting musicians on the modern scene.  Every one of this trilogy’s albums is outstanding.

Music from Stockholm, Sweden.

Read more on Bird is the Worm.

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Aug 16 2014

Andreas Söderström – “4”

 

Andreas Soderstrom - "4"Andreas Söderström has lent his guitar to some wildly expressive projects from the Scandinavian scene.  Two in particular that have received strong reviews on this site are from Goran Kajfes Subtropic Arkestra’s The Reason Why Vol.1 and Fire! Orchestra’s Enter, both larger ensembles where Söderström’s various guitars are just part of the mix.

However, he’s quietly released a series of solo recordings under the moniker ASS (which stands for Andreas Söderström Solo), and they are far removed from the avant-garde headiness of his other collaborations.  His first two recordings, a 2006 self-titled debut and the 2008 release My Get Up and Go Just Got Up and Went are comprised primarily of Söderström finger-picking a steel-string guitar.  The music is heavily contemplative and possesses a dense moodiness that sees occasional beams of sunny glee break through at startling moments.  Of particular note is his intelligent take on the theme from the movie Escape From New York.  His 2010 release Salt Marsh saw Söderström’s compositions displaying more liveliness, with tracks more likely to take flight, aided by guest musicians on percussion and wind instruments.

Söderström‘s 2013 release 4 has him straying even further from the solo works of contemplative music.  Expanding the pool of guest musicians, (which, incidentally, also perform on both the Kajfes and Fire! Orchestra recordings, as well as the recent Angles 9 session), the music has more volatility than ever before.

Opening track “Villiers” is the uneasy murmur of guitar cloaked in a mask of serenity that is suddenly torn off by the wild fluttering of Mats Gustafsson on C-melody saxophone.  Almost a shriek at times, the song’s chaotic underpinning is exposed and that initial tense calm is revealed not as the echo of past sounds but the precursor of something new from Söderström.

This continues with “Varberg,” which has Söderström switching from guitar to flute, and with Andreas Werliin on drums and Alexander Zethson on grand piano, the trio create an ethereal presence that is less an actual song and more a conceptual expression.  “Potato Ship” also sees Söderström on flute, but this time offering up a focused tune, with flute, marimba and percussion all moving in unison, sketching out an agreed upon direction.  The contrast between the two tracks is a welcome ingredient.

With his thoughtful guitar patterns, “Butterfly Bend” harkens back to the sound of early Söderström recordings, though now there’s the added bonus of Tomas Hallonsten‘s haunting accompaniment on Haammond organ.  “Random Lunacy” also echoes an earlier period sound, with the calls of guitar answered by Mats Äleklint‘s trombone and tiny drops of vibraphone bouncing sparingly off the surface of the song.

The album ends with the eleven minute “Cedar Shakes,” a song that fully represents the development of Söderström‘s vision.  The contemplative guitar picking is tempered at one end by an ominous undercurrent of resonance from grand piano and then bolstered from the other end by the heavier introspection of organ.  Meanwhile, drums cut the difference between the two, and now it’s a matter of either perspective possessing a strong claim on the proceedings.

That kind of fuzziness contained within a concise encapsulation builds all kinds of intrigue to see where a musician goes next.  That it’s the bookend to an enjoyable present expression just makes it all the better.

Your album personnel:  Andreas Söderström (guitar, flute) and guests: Alexander Zethson (grand piano, vibraphone, marimba), Mats Gustafsson (C-melody soprano sax), Andreas Werliin (drums, percussion), Mats Äleklint (trombone), and Tomas Hallonsten (Hammond organ, MS-20 synth, vibraphone, marimba).

Released on Headspin Recordings.

Music from the Stockholm, Sweden scene.

Available at:  Amazon

Or purchase directly from the Headspin Recordings shop.

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Jan 25 2014

The Safety Net: The Stoner – “Hat Music”

 

The Stoner - "Hat Music"Nils Berg is one of those musicians to be sure to keep in touch with.  He moves from project to project, collaboration to collaboration, and each time it results in some very rewarding music.

His Cinemascope ensemble released the fascinating Popmotion in 2011, a collage of live jazz performance and found sound on the internet [review here].  It featured Berg’s languorous Swedish Jazz expressions juxtaposed against a vast array of other musics, intuitively finding the commonalities between each while accentuating the beauty of the contrasts.

And then there’s his participation on Oskar Schonning‘s excellent 2012 release The Violin [review here], which paired up old-school bop and modern Nordic Jazz… not blending the two, but simply transitioning back and forth, and concocting an engrossing transitional flow that was more than a bit mesmerizing.  Berg also collaborated with Daniel Ogren, on his excellent 2011 release Laponia [review here], a folk-jazz recording that leaned heavily to the former of those influences and allowed the latter’s lightness and versatility to provide some lift to the folk music’s ear-to-the-soil sound.

And then there’s his project The Stoner.  Their 2009 release Hat Music is a lovely example of how the languorous expressions of Nordic Jazz can possess a life and electricity that is anything but sleepy, while doing nothing to endanger the mesmerizing spell cast by this style of music.

Your album personnel:  Nils Berg (tenor sax, bass clarinet, flute), Jonas Östholm (piano), Nils Ölmedal (bass), and Jon Fält (drums).

The album opens with the mournful tones of “I Skogen,” emitting a strange, but comforting warmth, triggered primarily by Berg’s bass clarinet, and accentuating the essential role that regional folk music plays in a Nordic Jazz recording.  It’s a tone that contrasts with the upbeat “Voodoo Girl,” with its chipper rhythms and a melody that’s all sunshine.  Title track “Hat Music” doesn’t stray far from this formula, with all four quartet members contributing to the development of this jaunty tune.

“Något Bortom Bergen” has a slow drifting ambiance interspersed with bursts of energy and rises in temperature.  Berg is out front on this tune, but its success is the result of the way Falt shepherds the tune on drums.  “Wood Wood” adopts a similar pattern with a charming melody and percussion that maintains an amicable conversational tone.  On piano, Ostholm runs some playfully staggered lines over top of the rhythm section.

The up-tempo tune “Sport” features nifty interplay between Falt and Ostholm on drums and piano, whereas the deep tones of Berg’s bass clarinet and Olmedal’s bass resonate strongest on the tranquil “Far Och Son.”  But on their rollicking rendition of West Side Story’s “The Jet Song,” the quartet comes together as one, taking turns in the spotlight, yet still working in unison.

The album ends with the moody “Mitt Svenska Hjärta,” a tune with a dreamy presence, and emitting that same distant, yet comforting warmth of album opener “I Skogen,” bringing the album full circle to its conclusion.

A beautiful, mesmerizing recording that crackles with life at just the right moments.

Released in 2009 on the Hoob Records label.

Jazz from the Stockholm, Sweden scene.

Available at:  eMusic | Amazon MP3 | Amazon CD

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May 21 2012

Daniel Ogren – “Laponia”

 

It seems like the last few years have seen an increase in jazz albums that venture deep into folk territory.  Sometimes it manifests as the American Bluegrass of the Midwest plains and Appalachian mountains, but also has been derived from various geographical Old Folk music strains.  And sometimes, it’s just a generalized lazy back porch guitar sense of the word Folk.  Standout examples (to name just a few) that come to mind are Julian Lage‘s Gladwell, Jeremy Udden‘s Plainville, Simone Guiducci‘s That’s All Folks, and Motian Sickness‘s For the Love of Sarah.  You can now add guitarist Daniel Ogren‘s Laponia to the list of outstanding jazz folk albums.

All forms of music possess certain essential ingredients for the music and inherent risks for the musician, each specific to its own genre.  For Folk, it’s one of Simple Man Genuineness, of common wisdom earned through common hardships.  And the notes of the song have to be like the dirt… a sense of their age, the power to tell a tale if one only puts their ear to the ground and listens.  Lacking that, the music is likely to sound pretentious and the artists to be viewed as duplicitous.  The best way to get there is fearless honesty, unabashed openness… here is what I know and how I learned it and what it means to me.  It’s not so much a heart-on-the-sleeve thing as it is an unlocked door and a welcome mat that means it.  The best folk music is something that the listener never has to buy into.

Thankfully, Ogren seems to get this.  There is a sincerity to this music that eclipses its simplicity, a priceless quality that is important to any type of music, irrelevant of genre.  But since Laponia falls more into folk territory than jazz, the importance of that sincerity is elevated.

Let’s talk about that music…

Ogren mixes in the earthy guitar and percussion of folk music with soaring piano and bass clarinet of jazz, and lavishes it with alluring flourishes of keyboards and electronics.  The sound is emblematic of the mountain range and massive skies of Northern Sweden that were Ogren’s home and inspiration for the album.

The staccato march of acoustic guitar and drums gets juxtaposed against the lullaby flight of bass and piano, with bass clarinet the seam that binds those opposing elements into one sound.  Opening track “Vandringssång” sets the tone of earth and air, mountain and sky, that bleeds through the entire album.

There are moments when the eerie clavioline sings like night creatures, unseen, in the forest.  Majestic interludes, like thick rays of moonlight breaking through dark cloudy skies, accentuate the beauty of other tracks.

Even tracks that announce a greater jazz presence aren’t afraid to drift away to seek out a new resting place.  “The Cowbell” has a hop and stagger pattern that opens with a jazz bounce which eventually transitions into downward spirals of increasing tempo, notes trailing behind, scattered in all directions.

And where some tracks serenely drift out of sight, with others, like the thrilling piano sojourn “Bjorkar,” there is a palpable sense of “lifting off” as the tune gains volume and intensity.  “Njulla,” which follows right on its heels, further imbues the album with an exhilarating sense of flight.

It’s a nice group effort (as all solid albums have to be, really), but I’d like to point out the outstanding contribution of Nils Berg, who gives the album a haunting beauty.  Berg’s name is going to be getting mentioned here quite a bit over the next few months as I give the rundown on several albums on which he collaborates.

Ogren shows plenty of promise as a recording jazz artist, and Laponia is an album you can trust.

Your album personnel: Daniel Ogren (guitar, church organ, clavioline), Nils Berg (bass clarinet), Gunnar Åkerhielm (piano), Andreas Henningsson (bass), and Christopher Cantillo (drums).

Released on the Hoob Records label.

Jazz from the Stockholm scene.

Visit the artist’s site.

Available at:  Amazon

 

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