don't seem to make much of a fuss over their new releases, so there's a good chance you were probably unaware that Björn Olsson has a new solo album out now called "Lite nya melodier", but he does and now you can listen to it via Spotify. It starts out slow with a few solo piano pieces ala Jan Johansson before building into the more typical Ennio Morricone-style soundtracks he's known for. And yes Jim, there's plenty of whistling.
Originalljudet means "original sound" which could mean all sorts of things, depending on how you want to interpret it. It is brand new or is it going back to the source? Or perhaps a little of both, as you'll hear on "Jennys polska". It's got the lilting melody of classic Jan Johansson, but the feel is more stiff-legged and monotonous, giving the piece a darker undercurrent. I can picture creepy, withered old dudes playing this sort of stuff on a cobblestone street corner or in some olde world European café, but it's nice to know that it's actually being made by fresh-faced young folks, young folks who are eager to twist old sounds and exploit them into something new.
Originalljudet - Jennys polska
Nutid is the duo of Åsa Jacobsson and Alf Håkan Åkesson and together they make beautiful instrumental music. Which is odd in a way because Åsa is well-known as Marit Bergman's favorite songwriting collaborator and she has also worked with quite a few other Stockholm-based pop projects (Consequences, Peter Bjorn and John, etc.). Alf is no slouch either, he's released a few well-received folksy singer/songwriter albums under his first name. So for the two of them to come together to do something completely different is a surprise; unexpected but welcome. "Pianoflikkan" is one of the longer tracks on the record (they typically average out to 2:30-3:00, owing very much to the duo's pop-oriented roots) and is quite reminiscent of classic Swedish progg. The melodies are very Jan Johansson in their elegant melancholy, especially when the piano takes the lead, but the piece wouldn't sound out of place on a Björn Olsson album either. The cinematic and the pastoral, together as one; a bit of twang and timpani. Spring has finally arrived and the flowers are slowing opening just like the smiles on people's faces as they enjoy a bit of hard-earned sunshine. This is the soundtrack for such a morning.
Nutid - Pianoflikkan
Here's the playlist for last week's radio show on 12/28, a special all-jazz program to close out the year:
01. TALK 1
02. Jan Johansson - Visa från Utanmyra
03. Saft - Marching for no. 1
04. Auton - El Dorado
05. TALK 2
06. The Splendor - Canary Islands
07. Kornstad/Opsvik - Happy house (live)
08. TALK 3
09. Yttling Jazz - Konstant krease
10. Jonas Knutsson - Glaciär
11. Moha! - Teknosangen
12. Oskar Schönning - Faustine
13. TALK 4
14. E.S.T. (Esbjörn Svensson Trio) - Leucocyte (ad initio)
And in case you happened to catch it, here also is my Sirius XMU top 10 most important albums of 2008 playlist:
#10 - Fucked Up - Days of last
#09 - Commando M Pigg - Baby doll
BEST COVER SONG - The Kid - Mayhem troopers (Cortex)
#08 - Katzenjammer - Le pop
#07 - Tobias Hellkvist - Wintervarm
#06 - The Goner - Field ceremony
BEST REMIX OF 2008 - Firefox AK vs Laid - Once I was like you
#05 - Haust - Ugly fucking Oslo
#04 - Eddy Current Suppression Ring - Which way to go
#03 - Sort Sol - White shirt
BEST LIVE ACT OF 2008 - Sex Vid - Cleansing
#02 - Montys Loco - Farewell Mr Happy
#01 - Lukestar - White shade
Reminder: my show airs every week on Sundays and Mondays at 11pm ET on Sirius XMU. That's channel 26 on Sirius, 43 on XM and 831 for DirecTV subscribers.
Yesterday I mentioned that my daily listening of late has been mostly crust and jazz and I posted an example of the former. Today, you get the latter.
I've expressed admiration for both Jonas Knutsson and Mats Öberg before on these pages, but I don't think I've ever heard the two old friends play together until receiving a copy of the new live duet album on Country & Eastern. According to the minimal liner notes, the two have known each other since 1981 when Jonas was 16 and doing a recording for the local radio station in Umeå. Mats, then 10 years old, was asked how he liked the music and he commented, "Fine, but the three-line E on the piano is out of tune..." For anyone already familiar with Mats' musical abilities, this should come as no surprise. He's a phenomenal talent, perfect pitch or not; it shines through even when I witnessed him performing casually at his brother's wedding this past summer. Get him on a record like this and it's even more obvious. Jonas is no slouch either, his "Horn please!" album from last year is a beautiful extension of Jan Johansson's folk-jazz tradition and consistently gets regular play in my household. Together, the best thing about Jonas and Mats playing together is how fun it sounds. That's one revelation of the duo format - it's much more a conversation between two friends than any sort of virtuostic showpiece. Especially on "Jagad i hissen" ("Fugitive in the elevator" so says Google). Even if bits of the music may seem a bit hard to follow, hopefully the laughter at the end will cue you in to the true intent. Sometimes it might seem like they're having a private conversation, but they really do want to let you in on the joke.
Reading comprehension time: provided you made it this far, I've got something extra to give you. Country & Eastern sent me an additional copy of the aforementioned "Horn please!" CD, so I'm going to give it away. Leave a comment on this post and you're eligible. The winner will be announced in a day or so.
Jonas Knutsson & Mats Öberg - Jagad i hissen
Jan JohanssonThis is a collection of piano works from the late, great Jan Johansson. Spanning 1960 to 1968 the works go from straight bop to post-bop while touching on the free jazz that began to emerge during the period. Johansson's melodic playing is particularly of note, as he goes from slow bop to free improvisation with almost the same melodic ease. While there are a few flow problems with the collection, which is understandable, it removes something from the overall enjoyment of the whole record. Being totally ignorant of Johansson before, I thought this was a great introduction to a mostly unknown jazz great on these shores and that it compels me to investigate more. Perhaps the most interesting songs on here are Johansson's exploration of Swedish folk songs in jazz contexts, which are simply awesome for the ignorants like me. Definitely a record to consider if you are Johansson fans as well as curious bebop, post-bop and hard-bop enthusiasts.
- Simon Thibaudeau
Hey, look! More jazz to bore all you indie music fans. I make no secret that I'm a huge fan of Nordic folk-inspired jazz such as Jan Johansson and Cornelis Vreeswijk and other modern folk-influenced acts such as Detektivbyrån, Det Gamla Landet and Hedningarna, but did you know that I am also a soprano sax player? Or was I guess I should say, as I am waaaay out of practice. I know most people immediately think Kenny G when they think soprano, but please put such thoughts aside! Think John Coltrane, Steve Lacy. Anyone else! Or maybe start thinking Jonas Knutsson & Horn Please. Six sax players (from sopranino to baritone, but mostly soprano) plus a rhythm section playing "Country & Eastern" music (as the cover proclaims), or as you may have guessed, ethnic folk-inspired jazz. I became hooked on this stuff way back when John Zorn first started his acclaimed Masada project- I had been a fan of his work with Naked City among other projects, but it's his roots-based work with Masada that I consider to be his best. Did you realize that there are many similar tonal qualities in Middle Eastern, Eastern European and Scandinavian folk? It's true. The styles blend together far more easily than you might expect. That's why me, as some Jewish kid getting into Masada, can also similarly appreciate a "polska" piece from Jonas Knutsson. Now, I'm not actually posting a polka today, but you get the idea, right?
Jonas Knutsson - Bosambo-Revati
The playlist for this week's radio show:
01. Jan Johansson - Visa från Utanmyra
02. TALK 1
03. Annika Norlin/Säkert! - Generalens visa
04. Don't Be a Stranger - Mon-chi-chi
05. Audionom - In the streets
06. TALK 2
07. Elias and the Wizzkids - Fourth of July
08. C.Aarmé - Golden retriever
09. Kasper Bjørke - Humming song
10. The Carny - Bestseller
11. TALK 3
12. Marybell Katastrophy - Hip
13. Flyphonic - The truth is
14. Universal Poplab - Heart apart (Timo Räisänen acoustic remix)
15. TALK 4
16. E.S.T. - Tuesday wonderland (live)
17. Rigas - Dead like you
18. TALK 5
19. Bröderna Lindgren - En hund som jag
20. Springfactory - Swedish folk highschool
21. Loud Pipes - Don't you ever
22. Sophie Zelmani - To know you
23. TALK 6
24. The State of Floral Beings - Man you owe me
25. Caitlyn - Oh no!
26. The Bombhappies - And at Belle Bed Inn, I told you
27. TALK 7
28. Brick - Call Batman
29. Smalltown - What's going on?
30. Desert Planet - Return of the ninja droids
31. TALK 8
32. Hedningarna - Neidon laulu
33. Dreamboy - What have I done
34. Captain Murphy - Sailor behaviour
35. TALK 9
36. Lemonator - Heart burns
37. The Kissaway Trail - Smother + evil = hurt
38. Johndoe - Rastløs rock'n'roll
39. Lukestar - Shade you hide
40. TALK 10
41. The Fine Arts Showcase - Teenage poetry
The remake of "Poems, ballader och lite blues" (as discussed yesterday) isn't the only new release paying tribute to Cornelis Vreeswijk; Mats Öberg's new record "Improvisational two" is comprised entirely of solo improvisations based on Vreeswijk songs. Listening to this track that I've posted may remind you of Jan Johansson which of course is quite fitting, seeing as how Johansson played on the original version from the album "Grimascher och telegram" (1966). Mats' take on the piece is, naturally, a bit more free given the solo/improv setting, but the melody carries through and that's the most important part. And what a lovely melody it is! If the language barrier is too much for you to take, try this instead.
Mats Öberg - En visa om ett rosenblad
The Determined Dilettante on classic Swedish jazz artist Jan Johansson and the album "Jazz på Svenska": http://determineddilettante.blogspot.com/2007/10/fall-has-arrived.html
If you haven't heard this yet, you are definitely missing out. Also posted over there, a bit on Britney Spear's latest album "Blackout" which boasts an impessive roster of Swedish production credits. From the few tracks I've heard so far and considering the vocal (over-)production, I'd agree that it's barely even a Britney album at all. For better too, I'd say.
Christopher Porter was kind enough to pass along his full, unedited interview with Norwegian artist Sinikka Langeland for your reading pleasure - check it out!
As you may or may not be aware, one of the things I like best about Scandinavian music is the way that folk traditions are kept alive in modern times. Whether it's acts like Hedningarna or Detektivbyrån playing folk tunes using home-built instruments and electronics, Enslaved exploring their viking roots, Amorphis using the Kalevala for lyrical inspiration or Jan Johansson borrowing folk melodies for jazz (much in the same way that Sinikka does), there's a vast, rich musical heritage that's constantly being reinvigorated in new and interesting ways.
I didn't budget my time very well on my trip to Göteborg, so I barely had any time to go record shopping, but I did pick up a few things, the best of them being the P2 Ström "Ny musik för landssorg" compilation. The concept is fairly simple, as exemplified by the title: "New music for national grief" - what music do you play in the event of great tragedy? This collection of Swedish electronic artists are attempting to create a new soundtrack for such a occasion and I am amazed at how successful the outcome is. As one would surmise, the music is dark, calm, introspective and, for the most part, wordless. It's also incredibly cohesive as a whole and I had a really hard time deciding on what track to feature today. Opener "In case of sorrow" from Akamu works well I think as it firmly establishes a mood. As the artist himself describes it: "A Jan Johansson-tranquility" with a light air of celebration in the swinging background rhythms. "A balance of respect and funeral feast" he says, though I think something might be lost in translation there. The way I see it: It's dark, but it's not a funeral dirge. There's an all-important soothing quality to the work and that's of vital importance considering the guiding concept. Hence, it is effective and appropriate, not just a lovely piece of music. There's many other tracks on here just as exceptional, I only wish I had the time to talk about each of them. Very recommended.
Akamu - In case of sorrow
The playlist for my radio show this week:
01. Säkert! - Allt som är ditt
02. TALK 1
03. Madrugada - Shine
04. My Midnight Creeps - Don't let 'em bring you down
05. TALK 2
06. Asha Ali - A promise broken
07. Detektivbyrån - Hemvägen
08. Pelle Carlberg - Clever girls like clever boys much more than clever boys like clever girls
09. TALK 3
10. Enslaved - 793 (Slaget om Lindisfarne)
11. TALK 4
12. Fare You Well - Take me away
13. The Kissaway Trail - Smother + Evil = Hurt
14. Emmon - Wake up time (Thermostatic remix)
15. TALK 5
16. KVLR - Traitors and thieves
17. Magnus Carlsson - Va med mig
18. Jonas Kullhammar Quartet - Bebopalulia
19. TALK 6
20. De Må Være Belgiere - Cirkler
21. Johndoe - Kjøtere
22. Manes - Deeprooted
23. TALK 7
24. Khoma - Stop making speeches
25. The Giant's Dream - Significant dawn
26. Las Puertas - The water
27. TALK 8
28. Lordi - The chainsaw buffet
29. Logh - A sunset knife fight
30. Lack - 5 o'clock in the evening
31. TALK 9
32. The Bear Quartet - Before the trenches
33. Jan Johansson - Visa från Utanmyra
34. TALK 10
35. Kashmir - The aftermath
Music blog The Overgrown Path on Swedish jazz artist Jan Johansson: http://theovergrownpath.blogspot.com/2006/08/swedens-best-kept-secret-jan-johansson.html (via)
I too posted about Jan way back in January 2005, so consider that my endorsement.
