Jan Johansson
Piano
Heptagon

This 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