This is a heartfelt and exquisite tribute to a man who was both a master musician and a fine human being.
Stunt Records STUCD 25112
Stefan Pasborg (drums, percussion); Carsten Dahl (piano); Fredrik Lundin (tenor saxophone)
Recorded The Village Recording, Copenhagen 10 December 2024
The death of Alex Riel in June 2024 at the age of 83 marked the end of a remarkable musical career. Riel was just not one of the finest jazz drummers in Denmark or even Europe; he was a world class practitioner who played with a host of jazz artists that included, Dexter Gordon, Jackie MacLean, Archie Shepp, Ben Webster, Don Cherry, Michael Brecker, Mike Stern and Bill Evans (the pianist, not saxophonist). No surprise that he also played with the cream of Danish jazz musicians, forming bands with Palle Mikkelborg, Marilyn Mazur and Niels-Henning Ørsted Pedersen.
This album is a celebration of Riel’s life and music by Danish drummer Stefan Pasborg, who at the age of three was given a drum kit by Riel. Riel was also Pasborg’s first drum teacher and godfather. Pasborg has led many bands and played with artists such as Mirsolav Vitous and Tomasz Stanko.
The rest of the trio comprises of pianist Carsten Dahl, who has recorded numerous albums as leader, and also played with Ed Thigpen and Eddie Gomez. Saxophonist Fredrik Lundin has played with Steve Swallow, Django Bates, Niels-Henning Ørsted Pedersen and Marilyn Mazur. All three musicians have played together many times previously and had also played with Riel.
The album cover features a side portrait drawing of Riel, and inside is a photograph taken by Riel’s wife Ana at the Jazzhus Montmartre in Copenhagen, the jazz venue where Riel was a member of the house band for some years. The picture features Riel standing arm in arm with the trio members. He died barely four months after the picture was taken.
This album was inspired by a handwritten note Pasborg received, written by Riel and containing a list of some of his favourite songs. Pasborg decided to record some of the tunes, plus a new song constructed from a solo improvisation taken from Riel’s 1966 debut album. The original piece was entitled ‘In A Way.’ Pasborg extracted five sections from it and improvised around them, creating a hybrid track which features both drummers. Pasborg also played on Riel’s Gretsch drum kit from the 1960s and also used some bells he found in Riel’s shed. The album was recorded in a day and almost all performances are first takes.
There are ten songs with a total running time of 40 minutes. The opener, ‘Danny Boy,’ has a gritty performance by Lundin, whose raspy tenor sax and swaggering phrases call to mind a late night reveller regaling a pub audience (albeit one that is in tune). Dahl comps sparsely on piano and Pasborg adds shimmering cymbals and crashes here and there.
‘Somewhere Over The Rainbow’ has an abstract intro, with clinking bells, scratching percussion sounds, plucked piano strings and high-key piano stabs, before Lundin enters, playing the theme. Dahl shows what a fine pianist he is, playing with great economy on this track. ‘Smile’ starts off as an energetic percussion workout with clattering cymbals and thundering drums, before Dahl’s long, relaxed piano solo cools the temperature a bit.’
The swinging ‘Idaho’ is taken at a slower tempo than the 1970 Count Basie version and includes a long drum solo. ‘In Another Way’ is the drum solo piece constructed by Pasborg. It’s three and half minutes long, starting off with the slow, spacious of tinkling bells and light drum taps, before fizzing with energy and the sound of pounding floor toms and crashing cymbals.
So far, so good, but for this listener the highlight was song six, ‘Den Milde Dag Er Lys Og Lang’ (The Gentle Day is Light and Long), composed in 1921 by Carl Nielsen, with lyrics by Aage Bernsten. It begins as a gentle ballad, with some tender playing on piano and sax, before it ignites into a powerful sax solo, with Lundin playing with a fire and intensity that brings to mind Michael Brecker in full flight, as piano and drums driving the saxophonist to even greater heights. It’s a terrific performance by the trio.
‘Moonriver’ is delicately played, Dahl’s rippling piano chords complementing Lundin’s light, airy phrases that are like branches swaying gently in a soft breeze. Fats Waller’s ‘Moppin’ and Boppin’ is played as a disjointed, abstract piece full of energy and zest; it’s an interesting new arrangement. ‘Den Blå Anenome’ (The Blue Anemone) is a ballad that has been performed in an array of arrangements. The trio’s version is a gentle piece, piano and sax playing the pretty melody together in places.
The album closes with a short (it’s barely two minutes long) rendition of ‘When You Wish Upon A Star, led by Linden’s plaintive sax phrases and supported by Dahl’s sparse piano lines and Pasborg’s tinkling percussion and crashing cymbals. It’s fitting that the album ends with the soft sound of tumbling percussion. This is a heartfelt and exquisite tribute to a man who was both a master musician and a fine human being.
