A good album for dancing…
iMOGENA IGCD 267
Karl Olandersson (t,v); Klas Lindquist (as,ts); Fredrik Lindborg (ts,bcl,cl); Dicken Hedrenius (tb); Daniel Tilling (p); Goran Lind (b); Mattia Puttonen (d)
Recorded Sweden June 16, 19 & 20 2021
This seven piece Swedish combo is rooted firmly in the late thirties, forties swing era. The music swings with such apparent ease that it seems as though they found it no trouble at all. Perhaps they didn’t.
The programme begins with Kern’s ‘Pick Yourself Up’ which moves along steadily and easily with good horn solos and a light but pulsing rhythm. In fact it is down to the rhythm section that this music sounds as relaxed and joyous as it does.
On the final selection, ‘Don’t Get Around Much Anymore,’ there is a tasty arrangement by Lindborg and the rhythm section swings easily into that four beats to a bar and no messing that Count Basie’s early orchestra pioneered.
Most of this set, whether hardy standards or originals by members of the band have a definite early Basie or Ellington flavour. With a touch of Benny Goodman thrown in. Lindquist on clarinet proves the point.
Highlights include a well structured arrangement of ‘Poinciana’, blended in with ‘Where Or When,’ which uses the same chord structure.
Obviously inspired by Ahmad Jamal’s classic 1958 recording of ‘Poinciana’ the arrangement works very well. Horace Silver’s ‘The Preacher,’ swings lightly and easily, albeit more like an Ellington small unit than Horace’s quintet.
There is a good mix of standards and originals written by band members, notably the dancing ‘Mr. Sven’ and the rather sombre ‘The Unpleasantness, introduced by Lindborg’s gloomy bass clarinet.
So nothing really new, old music given a fresh swing from seven of today’s jazz musicians but well played throughout and obviously played with great enjoyment by the band. A good album for dancing too.
Reviewed by Derek Ansell
