Artistry Jazz Group - Tribute!

Styles: Vocal And Piano Jazz

Year: 2012
File: MP3@320K/s
Time: 70:31
Size: 162,0 MB
Art: Front

(3:50)  1. Palo Alto
(4:04)  2. Shirley Steps Out
(5:14)  3. Last Night When We Were Young
(4:08)  4. Bijou
(3:02)  5. Up an' Atom
(6:08)  6. Lost in a Summer Night
(2:55)  7. The Bad and the Beautiful
(2:44)  8. Undercurrent Blues
(5:13)  9. The Man that Got Away
(3:57) 10. Fantasy
(6:34) 11. As You Are
(6:58) 12. The St. Vitus' Dance
(5:31) 13. Changing My Tune
(6:00) 14. Lotus Blossom
(4:06) 15. Boplicity

An absolute gem, featuring some of the best players in Scandinavia in an extremely well thought-out program of music, paying tribute to "musicians and artists who shaped new sounds and ideas." It's the brainchild of independent record producer Torgil Rosenberg and pianist Jan Lundgren. Three top Swedish musicians, Peter Asplund on trumpet, Klas Lindqvist on alto sax and clarinet, and Janne Bengtsson on flute, join Lundgren's already all-star Artistry group, filling out the sound on selected numbers. The choice of musicians and composers receiving tribute is highly eclectic, ranging from alto saxophonist Lee Konitz, pianist Horace Silver, trumpeter Miles Davis and big band leader Stan Kenton to singer June Christy, Swedish composer/pianist Nils Lindberg (paired with US bassist Red Mitchell, who lived in Sweden for many years) and composers George Gershwin and Billy Strayhorn. The album opens with reed multi-instrumentalist Jimmy Giuffre's arrangement of Lee Konitz's marvelous post bop piece, "Palo Alto," on which Lundgren solos superbly. It continues with Mel Powell's quirky "Shirley Steps Out," with reed man Klas Lindqvist taking solo honors.

Vocalist Vivian Buczek is a revelation, displaying full-fledged confidence and a maturity only hinted at in her previous recordings with the group. She performs great versions of Harold Arlen's bittersweet "Last Night When We Were Young" and George Gershwin's "Changing My Tune," switches with consummate ease from Queen of Cool June Christy to Judy Garland, albeit singing the best, bluesiest song in Garland's book, "The Man That Got Away," written by Harold Arlen and Ira Gershwin for the 1954 film A Star Is Born.  Buczek does her best with the rather dated "back to nature" lyrics of Lindberg and Mitchell's "As You Are" and turns in a fine wordless vocal on "Undercurrent Blues," by Chico O'Farrill whose arrangements ushered King of Swing Benny Goodman, somewhat unwillingly, into the bebop era.

She also chooses the closer, going for Miles Davis' "Boplicity" and handling Ray Passman and Holli Ross' high-speed "Bebop Lives" lyrics with great aplomb. Hollywood composer David Raskin's "The Bad And The Beautiful" is one of two outstanding solo outings by Lundgren. The other is a lovely, lingering interpretation of Billy Strayhorn's "Lotus Blossom."  Guitarist Jacob Fischer's solo does wonders for "Fantasy" by Prince of Pretension Stan Kenton (based on a piece by classical composer Maurice Ravel), while Hans Backenroth plays some terrific bass on Horace Silver's "The St. Vitus' Dance." Only rarely do albums come any better than this.By Chris Mosey http://www.allaboutjazz.com/tribute-jan-lundgren-volenza-review-by-chris-mosey.php

Personnel: Jan Lundgren: piano;  Vivian Buczek: vocal;  Jacob Fischer: guitar;  Hans Backenroth: bass;  Johan Löfcrantz Ramsay: drums;  Peter Asplund: trumpet, flugelhorn;  Klas Lindqvist: alto sax, clarinet;  Janne Bengtsson: flute.

Tribute!

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Artistry Jazz Group - Too Darn Hot: Together With Cole Porter

Styles: Vocal And Piano Jazz
Year: 2010
File: MP3@320K/s
Time: 72:24
Size: 168,1 MB
Art: Front

(5:00)  1. Anything Goes
(5:05)  2. You Do Something To Me
(4:42)  3. What Is This Thing Called Love?
(4:25)  4. You're The Top
(5:02)  5. In the Still Of The Night
(4:19)  6. At Long Last Love
(4:39)  7. Down In The Depths of The Ninetieth Floor
(5:30)  8. Dream Dancing
(4:13)  9. Too Darn Hot
(4:40) 10. After You, Who?
(4:48) 11. All Through The Night
(4:39) 12. It's All Right With Me
(4:28) 13. I Concentrate On You
(4:42) 14. From This Moment On
(6:07) 15. I Happen To Be in Love

Laid back, elegante and personal, Cole Porter is celebrated by the pianist Jan Lundgren together with musicians from the Swedish jazz elite. A comprehensive booklet is included, with images and stories of Cole Porter and the 15 songs. Timelessness is about the hardest thing to accomplish. As well as creating something new and unique out of music and worldfamous artists that already have been played, celebrated and interpreted in a numerous of ways. That does not stop the Artistry Jazz Group from undertaking Cole Porter, in a pearl gallery of songs from Porter's great treasury. Count on a virtous jazz experience thanks to renowned musicians such as the pianist Jan Lundgren, the bass player Hans Backenroth, the guitarist Jacob Fischer, the drummer Johan Löfcrantz Ramsay and the big discovery; vocalist Vivian Buczek.

The album is a sequel to last years success album We Like Previn, where the same constellation, at that time under the name of The Swedish Connection, interpreted André Previn  with excellent reviews both in Sweden and abroad. As with the previous album, Too Darn Hot comes with a ambitious and comprehensive booklet with stories about the composer, the selected songs and the musicians. Information that brings the listening and enjoyment to an extra dimension. http://www.volenza.se/en/music/ajg/too-darn-hot

Personnel: Jacob Fischer (guitar); Jan Lundgren (piano); Johan Löfcrantz Ramsay (drums); Vivian Buczek (Vocal);Hans Backenroth (bass).

Too Darn Hot: Together With Cole Porter

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Jan Lundgren - Blue Lights

Styles: Piano Jazz
Year: 2010
File: MP3@320K/s
Time: 58:57
Size: 136,1 MB
Art: Front

(6:19) 1. Take Me In Your Arms
(4:35) 2. Blue Lights
(5:53) 3. Love Of My Life
(5:10) 4. Easily Found
(5:33) 5. Stranger In Paradise
(4:59) 6. Winter Moon
(6:47) 7. A Sunny Rain
(5:34) 8. Fair Weather
(4:51) 9. Skylark
(4:57) 10. Out Of The Past
(4:13) 11. We could Make Such Beatiful Music Together

Lundgren, born in Kristianstad in southern Sweden on March 22nd 1966, and raised in Ronneby, Blekinge, had his first piano lessons at age five. He was soon discovered to have an exceptional musical talent. After a long period of classical training, he discovered jazz more or less by chance in the late 1980’s. He was instantly hooked, rapidly absorbed the jazz piano tradition from Oscar Peterson, Erroll Garner to Bud Powell and Bill Evans, and acquired a depth of knowledge of the Great American Songbook like possibly no other European jazz pianist.

While sailing through his studies at the renowned Royal College of Music in Malmö, he also took up a busy schedule as a professional musician that quickly helped to build his reputation in Sweden. Discovered by Swedish bebop legend Arne Domnérus, he frequently played with other Swedish stars like Putte Wickman and Bernt Rosengren.

Lundgren’s debut album “Conclusion” was released in 1994, and propelled his career firmly forward. The following year saw the formation of the Jan Lundgren Trio with long time student associates Mattias Svensson (bass) and Rasmus Kihlberg (drums), who was replaced in the beginning of the year 2000 by the Dane Morten Lund. This steady band recorded seven well-received and commercially very successful albums for the Swedish label “Sittel” in the period up to 2003.

The album “Swedish Standards”, released in 1997 even became a bestseller and reached a place in the Swedish pop charts. But the album “Landscapes” (2003) sold comparably and both releases soon became classics due to their linking Swedish folk music and jazz. The band’s intense tour schedule founds a temporary peak in a concert at Carnegie Hall as part of “Swedish Jazz salutes the USA”.

As a sideman, Lundgren has accompanied such greats as Johnny Griffin, Benny Golson, Herb Geller, James Moody, or singer Stacey Kent. He has also shared the stage with ACT-artist Ulf Wakenius a number of times.

Jan Lundgren has been awarded a number of prizes since the early 90’s: In 1997 “Swedish Standards” became “best jazz album of the year”. He was nominated for the “Swedish Grammy” in 1995, 1997 and 2008 and the “Swedish Django d’Or Prize” in 1998, 2001 and 2002.

Having visited a long list of European territories and venues, Lundgren has also been on extended tours of Australia and Japan. He has visited the USA about 15 times and recorded some well-received albums for the label “Fresh Sound”.
https://www.allaboutjazz.com/musicians/jan-lundgren

Personnel: Piano – Jan Lundgren; Bass – Jesper Lundgaard; Drums – Alex Riel

Blue Lights

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Jan Lundgren Trio - Plays The Music Of Victor Young

Bitrate: MP3@320K/s
Time: 60:51
Size: 139.3 MB
Styles: Bop, Piano jazz
Year: 2016
Art: Front

[3:49] 1. I Don't Stand A Ghost Of A Chance With You (With Stacey Kent)
[5:19] 2. A Weaver Of Dreams (With Johnny Griffin)
[5:44] 3. Song Of Delilah
[2:36] 4. Golden Earrings
[5:02] 5. A Hundred Years From Today (With Deborah Brown)
[3:56] 6. Street Of Dreams (With Stacey Kent)
[4:41] 7. Sweet Sue (Just You)
[3:59] 8. Love Letters
[6:21] 9. Stella By Starlight (With Deborah Brown)
[6:19] 10. When I Fall In Love (With Johnny Griffin)
[5:35] 11. Alone At Last
[4:37] 12. Beautiful Love (With Deborah Brown)
[2:47] 13. My Foolish Heart (With Stacey Kent)

Pianist Jan Lundgren is a jazz musician much in the mold of such '60s icons as Dave Brubeck and Horace Silver. Lundgren's measured and crisp technique give him an edge in bringing challenging, modern jazz to a wider more populist audience. He plays in an "in" style reminiscent of many late-'50s to early-'60s musicians but always seems to be able to add a harmonic nod toward the future. Similarly, Victor Young, one of the most prolific Hollywood composers during the 1940s, produced some of the most performed songs in jazz history. These "standards" with their unique combination of hummable melodies over complex harmonic arrangements fit perfectly with Lundgren's style. This immensely listenable session opens with a gorgeous rendition of "I Don't Stand a Ghost of a Chance With You" featuring vocalist Stacey Kent. Kent has a sweet, sprightly, utterly irresistible voice that is the perfect introduction to the rest of this well-paced album. Juxtaposed to Kent's light, swinging approach is adventurous vocalist Deborah Brown who combines the best improvisatory abilities of Betty Carter and Ella Fitzgerald. Brown joins Lundgren and bandmates, bassist Mattias Svensson and drummer Rasmus Kihlberg on songs such as "Stella By Starlight" and "Beautiful Love." Rounding out the disc is the legendary tenor saxophonist Johnny Griffin who brings his ruddy, warm sound to the up-tempo "A Weaver of Dreams" and "When I Fall in Love." ~Matt Collar

Plays The Music Of Victor Young

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Jan Lundgren Trio - Charade

Styles: Piano Jazz
Year: 2002
File: MP3@320K/s
Time: 54:24
Size: 125,5 MB
Art: Front

(5:31) 1. Cocktail for Two
(4:36) 2. Charade
(3:12) 3. Nature Boy
(5:09) 4. I'm in the Mood for Love
(5:43) 5. Hush Bye
(5:12) 6. Moonlight in Vermont
(4:04) 7. Blue Skies
(5:52) 8. I Don't Know What Time It Was
(7:31) 9. Secret Love
(7:30) 10. Lullaby of the Leaves

Lundgren, born in Kristianstad in southern Sweden on March 22nd 1966, and raised in Ronneby, Blekinge, had his first piano lessons at age five. He was soon discovered to have an exceptional musical talent. After a long period of classical training, he discovered jazz more or less by chance in the late 1980’s. He was instantly hooked, rapidly absorbed the jazz piano tradition from Oscar Peterson, Erroll Garner to Bud Powell and Bill Evans, and acquired a depth of knowledge of the Great American Songbook like possibly no other European jazz pianist.

While sailing through his studies at the renowned Royal College of Music in Malmö, he also took up a busy schedule as a professional musician that quickly helped to build his reputation in Sweden. Discovered by Swedish bebop legend Arne Domnérus, he frequently played with other Swedish stars like Putte Wickman and Bernt Rosengren.

Lundgren’s debut album “Conclusion” was released in 1994, and propelled his career firmly forward. The following year saw the formation of the Jan Lundgren Trio with long time student associates Mattias Svensson (bass) and Rasmus Kihlberg (drums), who was replaced in the beginning of the year 2000 by the Dane Morten Lund. This steady band recorded seven well-received and commercially very successful albums for the Swedish label “Sittel” in the period up to 2003. The album “Swedish Standards”, released in 1997 even became a bestseller and reached a place in the Swedish pop charts. But the album “Landscapes” (2003) sold comparably and both releases soon became classics due to their linking Swedish folk music and jazz. The band’s intense tour schedule founds a temporary peak in a concert at Carnegie Hall as part of “Swedish Jazz salutes the USA”.

As a sideman, Lundgren has accompanied such greats as Johnny Griffin, Benny Golson, Herb Geller, James Moody, or singer Stacey Kent. He has also shared the stage with ACT-artist Ulf Wakenius a number of times. Jan Lundgren has been awarded a number of prizes since the early 90’s: In 1997 “Swedish Standards” became “best jazz album of the year”. He was nominated for the “Swedish Grammy” in 1995, 1997 and 2008 and the “Swedish Django d’Or Prize” in 1998, 2001 and 2002.

Having visited a long list of European territories and venues, Lundgren has also been on extended tours of Australia and Japan. He has visited the USA about 15 times and recorded some well-received albums for the label “Fresh Sound”. In 2006 Lundgren becomes part of the ACT family: Initially he was featured as a sideman on the Ida Sand album Meet Me Around Midnight (ACT 9716-2). In July 2007 he released his first ACT album Fresu – Galliano – Lundgren: Mare Nostrum (ACT 9466-2), followed by Magnum Mysterium (ACT 9457-2), which will be released in November of 2007.

In 2008 Lundgren could reap the fruits of his labour, and his Mare Nostrum was performed in front of sold out houses on prestigious stages throughout Europe (Salle Gaveau – Paris, Tonhalle – Zurich, Victoria Hall – Geneva, Teatro Dante Aligheri – Ravenna, S. Caecilia – Rome …) as well as at Jazz Baltica, the North Sea Jazz Festival, and the Istanbul Jazz Festival. There are many good reasons why the band has been called “the first European super group”.

In the same year Lundgren was honoured with the Swedish Django d’Or, and began a collaboration with the classical trumpet player H?kan Hardenberger and the Swedish writer Jacques Werup an exiting melange of modern classical and free music, of jazz and compositions of Jan Lundgren.

Lundgren also brought the Jan Lundgren 3io back to life in 2008, albeit with a new drummer, Zoltan Csörsz Jr who proved to be a truly lucky catch for the trio. A new repertoire has resulted in the new ACT album European Standards (ACT 9482-2) which will be released in Mai 2009 together with the re-release of Swedish Standards (ACT 9022-2) from the ACT Jazz Classics series.

Lundgren is part of a remarkable and long tradition of innovative pianists from Sweden like Jan Johansson who passed away early, and in more recent times Bobo Stenson and Esbjörn Svensson. Lundgren has never made life easy for himself, and has always tried to utilize his phenomenal technique to enhance his musicality. His ability to integrate the most disparate musical influences into a fascinating whole is unique in itself. Whether its contemporary classical music, the inexhaustible northern folk tradition or the pulsating groove of jazz, deeply rooted in Afro-American music: Lundgren has a unique way of leading the listener on a voyage of discovery sometimes relaxed, sometimes utterly invigorating through his highly individual soundscapes.
https://www.allaboutjazz.com/musicians/jan-lundgren

Personnel: Jan Lundgren (piano); Jesper Lundgaard (bass); Alex Riel (drums)

Charade

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Jan Lundgren Trio - Plays Cole Porter Love Songs

Styles: Piano Jazz
Year: 2006
File: MP3@320K/s
Time: 68:52
Size: 158,2 MB
Art: Front

(7:27) 1. I Love Paris
(5:15) 2. When Love Comes Around
(5:52) 3. You´re Be So Nice To Come Home To
(5:46) 4. So In Love
(5:36) 5. At Long Last Love
(7:33) 6. What Is This Thing Called Love
(8:06) 7. Everytime We Say Goodbye
(7:23) 8. Love For Sale
(5:48) 9. Easy To Love
(3:23) 10. True Love
(6:38) 11. I Love You

Lundgren, born in Kristianstad in southern Sweden on March 22nd 1966, and raised in Ronneby, Blekinge, had his first piano lessons at age five. He was soon discovered to have an exceptional musical talent. After a long period of classical training, he discovered jazz more or less by chance in the late 1980’s. He was instantly hooked, rapidly absorbed the jazz piano tradition from Oscar Peterson, Erroll Garner to Bud Powell and Bill Evans, and acquired a depth of knowledge of the Great American Songbook like possibly no other European jazz pianist.

While sailing through his studies at the renowned Royal College of Music in Malmö, he also took up a busy schedule as a professional musician that quickly helped to build his reputation in Sweden. Discovered by Swedish bebop legend Arne Domnérus, he frequently played with other Swedish stars like Putte Wickman and Bernt Rosengren.

Lundgren’s debut album “Conclusion” was released in 1994, and propelled his career firmly forward. The following year saw the formation of the Jan Lundgren Trio with long time student associates Mattias Svensson (bass) and Rasmus Kihlberg (drums), who was replaced in the beginning of the year 2000 by the Dane Morten Lund. This steady band recorded seven well-received and commercially very successful albums for the Swedish label “Sittel” in the period up to 2003. The album “Swedish Standards”, released in 1997 even became a bestseller and reached a place in the Swedish pop charts. But the album “Landscapes” (2003) sold comparably and both releases soon became classics due to their linking Swedish folk music and jazz. The band’s intense tour schedule founds a temporary peak in a concert at Carnegie Hall as part of “Swedish Jazz salutes the USA”.

As a sideman, Lundgren has accompanied such greats as Johnny Griffin, Benny Golson, Herb Geller, James Moody, or singer Stacey Kent. He has also shared the stage with ACT-artist Ulf Wakenius a number of times. Jan Lundgren has been awarded a number of prizes since the early 90’s: In 1997 “Swedish Standards” became “best jazz album of the year”. He was nominated for the “Swedish Grammy” in 1995, 1997 and 2008 and the “Swedish Django d’Or Prize” in 1998, 2001 and 2002.

Having visited a long list of European territories and venues, Lundgren has also been on extended tours of Australia and Japan. He has visited the USA about 15 times and recorded some well-received albums for the label “Fresh Sound”. In 2006 Lundgren becomes part of the ACT family: Initially he was featured as a sideman on the Ida Sand album Meet Me Around Midnight (ACT 9716-2). In July 2007 he released his first ACT album Fresu – Galliano – Lundgren: Mare Nostrum (ACT 9466-2), followed by Magnum Mysterium (ACT 9457-2), which will be released in November of 2007.

In 2008 Lundgren could reap the fruits of his labour, and his Mare Nostrum was performed in front of sold out houses on prestigious stages throughout Europe (Salle Gaveau – Paris, Tonhalle – Zurich, Victoria Hall – Geneva, Teatro Dante Aligheri – Ravenna, S. Caecilia – Rome …) as well as at Jazz Baltica, the North Sea Jazz Festival, and the Istanbul Jazz Festival. There are many good reasons why the band has been called “the first European super group”.

In the same year Lundgren was honoured with the Swedish Django d’Or, and began a collaboration with the classical trumpet player H?kan Hardenberger and the Swedish writer Jacques Werup an exiting melange of modern classical and free music, of jazz and compositions of Jan Lundgren.

Lundgren also brought the Jan Lundgren 3io back to life in 2008, albeit with a new drummer, Zoltan Csörsz Jr who proved to be a truly lucky catch for the trio. A new repertoire has resulted in the new ACT album European Standards (ACT 9482-2) which will be released in Mai 2009 together with the re-release of Swedish Standards (ACT 9022-2) from the ACT Jazz Classics series.

Lundgren is part of a remarkable and long tradition of innovative pianists from Sweden like Jan Johansson who passed away early, and in more recent times Bobo Stenson and Esbjörn Svensson. Lundgren has never made life easy for himself, and has always tried to utilize his phenomenal technique to enhance his musicality. His ability to integrate the most disparate musical influences into a fascinating whole is unique in itself. Whether its contemporary classical music, the inexhaustible northern folk tradition or the pulsating groove of jazz, deeply rooted in Afro-American music: Lundgren has a unique way of leading the listener on a voyage of discovery sometimes relaxed, sometimes utterly invigorating through his highly individual soundscapes.
https://www.allaboutjazz.com/musicians/jan-lundgren

Personnel: Piano – Jan Lundgren; Bass – Jesper Lundgaard; Drums – Alex Riel

Plays Cole Porter Love Songs

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Jan Lundgren - In New York

Styles: Piano Jazz
Year: 2006
File: MP3@320K/s
Time: 61:47
Size: 141,8 MB
Art: Front

(7:27) 1. Negotiations
(5:26) 2. East Of The Sun
(7:02) 3. Autumn In New York
(7:36) 4. Stablemates
(4:52) 5. The Gypsy
(7:29) 6. Straight Street
(5:12) 7. M.Z.
(5:51) 8. Cherokee
(4:35) 9. I Can't Get Started
(6:14) 10. This Is For Albert

In sports, coaches like to talk about “putting yourself in position to win.” Jan Lundgren has done exactly that with In New York. He borrowed Bill Charlap’s rhythm section of Peter Washington and Kenny Washington, one of the finest active piano-trio support systems. He recorded at Nola Studios with engineers Jim Czak and Bill Moss and got superb full-bandwidth sound. He assembled a stimulating program of originals, songbook classics (“East of the Sun,” “Autumn in New York,” “I Can’t Get Started”), and jazz standards by saxophonists (Golson’s “Stablemates,” Coltrane’s “Straight Street,” Shorter’s “This Is for Albert”).

Win he does. My only previous exposure to Lundgren’s work was a rather bland album of Swedish folksongs called Landscapes. But on In New York, with the Washingtons smoothing paths for him like two sweepers on the world champion Swedish curling team, Lundgren effortlessly glides and streaks over these songs. His versions of the three songbook pieces are rich, comprehensive and elegantly detailed. The positive energy is powerful and exhilarating. Even Lundgren’s “M.Z.,” for Monica Zetterlund, a wheelchair-bound Swedish singer who died tragically in an apartment fire in 2005, is much more about celebrating her life than mourning her death.
By Thomas Conrad https://jazztimes.com/archives/jan-lundgren-in-new-york/

Personnel: Jan Lundgren (piano); Peter Washington (bass); Kenny Washington (drums)

In New York

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Scott Hamilton - Classics

Styles: Saxophone Jazz
File: MP3@320K/s
Time: 60:04
Size: 137,9 MB
Art: Front

(7:03) 1. I Think of You
(6:37) 2. The Lamp is Low
(4:43) 3. If You are but a Dream
(6:47) 4. Theme from Swan Lake
(6:12) 5. My Reverie
(8:53) 6. Yours is my Heart Alone
(7:30) 7. Moon Love
(7:10) 8. Humoresque
(5:07) 9. Skymning

Scott Hamilton and a swinging rhythm section deliver a delightful and creative program of well-known themes from the classical repertoire - reimagined and repurposed for jazz quartet.

Scott Hamilton (born September 12th, 1954) needs no introduction. The celebrated American tenor icon is instantly recognizable with his timeless sound, impeccable taste, and flawless decision-making. That perfect storm of ingredients is no happy accident it’s all been honed and refined over decades of bringing joy to the musicians he plays with, and the audiences he plays for.https://www.jazzmessengers.com/en/91404/scott-hamilton/classics

Personnel: Scott Hamilton (tenor sax); Jan Lundgren (piano); Hans Backenroth (bass); Kristian Leth (drums)

Classics

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Paolo Fresu, Richard Galliano, Jan Lundgren - Mare Nostrum II

Styles: Jazz, Bop
Year: 2016
File: MP3@320K/s
Time: 55:21
Size: 127,8 MB
Art: Front

(5:03) 1. Apnea
(5:09) 2. Blue Silence
(3:57) 3. Aurore
(3:51) 4. Kristallen den fina
(5:08) 5. Gisele
(4:30) 6. E varie notti tre vie notai - per Etule, l'amico più fragile
(4:47) 7. Farväl
(4:47) 8. Gnossienne No. 1
(3:42) 9. Lili
(4:02) 10. Leklåt
(4:11) 11. Le livre d'un père sarde
(6:10) 12. Si dolce è il tormento

Trumpeter Paolo Fresu is Sardinian, accordionist Richard Galliano is French, and Jan Lundgren, the pianist, is Swedish: three virtuosi who create entirely European music using jazz techniques. One comes up with an idea and all three contribute to the final result. These 12 pieces, with their hints of French chanson, Scandinavian folk dance, Italian love song and universal, dreamy ballads, belong to no particular category. Two of them are adapted from classical originals, one by Monteverdi and the other by Erik Satie, poles apart in time and sensibility, but here they sit happily side by side. With each piece lasting about four minutes, and the mood changing subtly from one to another, it’s a deeply enjoyable listen.

… as you’re joining us today from Canada, we have a small favour to ask. Tens of millions have placed their trust in the Guardian’s fearless journalism since we started publishing 200 years ago, turning to us in moments of crisis, uncertainty, solidarity and hope. More than 1.5 million supporters, from 180 countries, now power us financially keeping us open to all, and fiercely independent. Unlike many others, the Guardian has no shareholders and no billionaire owner. Just the determination and passion to deliver high-impact global reporting, always free from commercial or political influence. Reporting like this is vital for democracy, for fairness and to demand better from the powerful. And we provide all this for free, for everyone to read.

We do this because we believe in information equality. Greater numbers of people can keep track of the global events shaping our world, understand their impact on people and communities, and become inspired to take meaningful action. Millions can benefit from open access to quality, truthful news, regardless of their ability to pay for it. https://www.theguardian.com/music/2016/feb/28/mare-nostrum-2-fresu-galliano-lundgren-review-european-jazz

Personnel: Paolo Fresu / trumpet & fluegelhorn; Richard Galliano / accordion, bandoneon & accordina; Jan Lundgren / piano

Mare Nostrum II

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Katrine Madsen, Jan Lundgren - My Secret

Styles: Vocal
Year: 2013
File: MP3@320K/s
Time: 58:47
Size: 135,5 MB
Art: Front

(6:06) 1. Let's Make Music
(6:03) 2. Life
(5:29) 3. Once There Was You
(7:49) 4. My Secret
(5:04) 5. Take the Air That I Breathe
(6:01) 6. Pearls and White Ponies
(6:48) 7. Waltz for Thor
(5:29) 8. I Hear a Rhapsody
(4:49) 9. Eagle Flight
(5:02) 10. Today and Tomorrow

"Katrine Madsen is a true Danish Queen of Jazz. The nearest we get to a Shirley Horn in this part of the world...she reaches new heights with her dark toned, sensual and wide ranged alto voice. She has an expressive depth in her voice which is an inborn communicative gift seldom to be heard." JazzSpecial (Danish Jazz Magazine)

"The simpler, the better. Jazz does not have to be long, complicated solos. When jazz is at its best it presents itself as a brilliant banality. Naked music with a soul. Katrine Madsen knows the art of turning jazz into something which everyone can relate to. No academic prerequisites are needed. Everything seems straight forward and so easy. When Katrine Madsen sings we do not ask for anything else. Everything is said and every word is heard. When she sings we listen with our breath drawn in order not to disturb." BT (Danish National newspaper)

"Katrine Madsen sings with a down played and at the same time glowing expression and she writes songs which effortlessly mingle with well recognized works." Berlingske Tidende (Danish National Newpaper)

"She is exciting not only as a singer, but also as a composer and she demonstrates both talents brilliantly. Here her bluish voice vibrates with an anxious sweetness and an exhausted melancholy. Both deeply felt and teasing, with an eye for choosing the direction which others wouldn’t – and that is meant as a big compliment. There’s an unexpected maturity in her voice, daring phrasing and an almost understated reserve of energy." EKSTRA BLADET: (Danish national newspaper) https://www.highresaudio.com/en/artist/view/df41751f-8011-463f-b124-d5b017e46549/katrine-madsen

My Secret

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Conte Candoli - Conte-Nuity

Styles: Trumpet Jazz
Year: 1999
File: MP3@320K/s
Time: 68:42
Size: 158,0 MB
Art: Front

(5:28) 1. Ray's Idea
(3:44) 2. Do Nothin' Till You Hear From Me
(5:11) 3. Jive at Five
(5:36) 4. Easy Street
(5:41) 5. Caravan
(7:38) 6. Nostalgia
(6:00) 7. Little Jazz
(6:19) 8. Stockholm Sweetnin'
(4:54) 9. You're a Lucky Guy
(7:30) 10. Rockin' Chair
(6:41) 11. Tun Up
(3:56) 12. Serenade to Sweden

This is another wonderful recording documenting the trumpet artistry of another great trumpet legend. Conte plays with elegance, skill and a tone that is so distinct. The label fresh sounds had done it again to only produce the best in jazz. Conte is a Ray Brown to trumpet players, he is so versatile and has been recording with only the best in the business. To have a solo album featuring Conte you are guaranteed to get the best quality in jazz you can listen to. Conte you are a true legend and this cd is a real gem. This this cd before it gets deleted. https://www.freshsoundrecords.com/conte-candoli-albums/1139-conte-nuity.html

Personnel: Conte Candoli (trumpet); Jan Lundgren (piano); Chuck Berghofer (bass); Joe LaBarbera (drums).

Conte-Nuity

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Jan Lundgren - Lonely One

Styles: Piano Jazz
Year: 2001
File: MP3@320K/s
Time: 57:25
Size: 132,2 MB
Art: Front

(5:02) 1. Will You Still Be Mine
(4:12) 2. The Lonely One
(5:11) 3. Jitterburg Waltz
(5:01) 4. When Sunny Gets Blue
(6:54) 5. Blues For Jesper
(5:47) 6. Trubbel
(4:54) 7. Caravan
(5:13) 8. A New Town Is A Blue Town
(4:35) 9. Falling In Love With Love
(4:50) 10. One For My Baby
(5:41) 11. Who I Can I Turn To

A fine bop-based pianist, Jan Lundgren has visited the United States several times since the mid-'90s and been gradually gaining a very strong reputation. Even while undergoing extensive classical piano training, Lundgren was playing jazz locally and by the time he was 20, he had begun working with Arne Domnérus and Putte Wickman. Lundgren has picked up valuable experience accompanying many visiting Americans (including Herb Geller, Johnny Griffin, and Mark Murphy). In 1994, he recorded his debut as a leader for the Four Leaf Clover label. Since then, Lundgren has recorded separate sets with Herb Geller and Bill Perkins for Fresh Sound and led further albums for Alfa and Four Leaf Clover. https://www.jazzmusicarchives.com/artist/jan-lundgren

Personnel: Jan Lundgren (piano); Jesper Lundgaard (bass); Alex Riel (drums)

Lonely One

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Nils Landgren, Jan Lundgren - Kristallen

Styles: Vocal, Trombone And Piano Jazz
Year: 2020
File: MP3@320K/s
Time: 56:23
Size: 129,5 MB
Art: Front

(3:49) 1. Blekinge
(3:50) 2. Byssan Lull
(4:15) 3. Country
(5:20) 4. Didn't We
(3:04) 5. Hornlatar
(4:24) 6. I Will
(4:18) 7. Why Did You Let Me Go
(4:56) 8. Lovers Parade
(3:42) 9. Norwegian Wood
(4:36) 10. Olu
(5:25) 11. The Nearness of You
(3:45) 12. Värmlandsvisan
(4:53) 13. The Wedding

Just as he has two roles musically, as a trombonist and singer, Nils Landgren has two sides stylistically: the upbeat and the sedate. Kristallen, his 24th album, leans to the latter, finding him in duet with pianist Jan Lundgren for a collection mostly of pop ballads and folk songs. It’s easy enough on the ears that, if left as background, it could be mistaken for fluff. Listen closely, though, and it’s surprising how much depth these Swedes deliver.

Start with the fact that Landgren is a stunningly good trombonist, the sort of player whose sound is so light and smooth as to seem effortless. Although his solos aren’t obviously showy, they reflect some serious chops, as he stays almost entirely above middle C and moves around the horn with the crisp agility of a veteran bebopper. Rhythmically imaginative, he swings hard even when playing in three, as his fine solos on “Norwegian Wood” make plain, while his ballad work makes the most of his sweet, Dorsey-like tone.

Lundgren is Landgren’s second duet partner, the first having been the late Esbjörn Svensson, and that leaves him with some fairly big shoes to fill. Although he spends much of the album as an accompanist, backing the trombone with well-colored chords and providing lush, gently rhythmic counterpoint for Landgren’s husky, Chet Baker-ish vocals, he has a strong enough sense of the blues to cut straight to the heart of Keith Jarrett’s “Country,” and puts enough rhythmic punch into the Beatles’ “I Will” that you’d almost think someone snuck a rhythm section onto the track. In all, an understated delight.~ J.D. Considine https://jazztimes.com/reviews/albums/nils-landgren-jan-lundgren-kristallen-act/

Personnel: Nils Landgren - Vocal, Trombone; Jan Lundgren - Piano.

Kristallen

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Jan Lundgren, Peter Asplund Quartet - California Connection

Styles: Piano And Trumpet Jazz
Year: 1996
File: MP3@320K/s
Time: 63:35
Size: 147,5 MB
Art: Front

(4:24)  1. Au Privave - Studio
(4:28)  2. Att Angöra En Brygga
(5:48)  3. Swedish Pastry
(6:51)  4. What is This Thing Called Love
(5:08)  5. Södermalm
(3:22)  6. I Hear a Rhapsody
(5:08)  7. How Deep is the Ocean
(6:44)  8. Stockholm Sweetnin'
(6:34)  9. Indian Summer
(6:13) 10. There Will Never Be Another You
(4:33) 11. When It's Sleepy Time Down Sout
(4:20) 12. Cottontail

The “California connection” on this colorful studio date, recorded in January ’96, is scrupulously forged between two marvelous young Swedish musicians, Asplund and Lundgren, and a duo of long–time West Coast stalwarts, Carpenter and Kreibich. Although Asplund was only 27 at the time and Lundgren 29, they play with an awareness and maturity far beyond their years, while Carpenter (37) and Kreibich (40) balance the scales with the bright eyed energy and enthusiasm of callow apprentices. Asplund and Lundgren met and became friends in ’93 when Jan received Sweden’s prestigious Thore Swanerud Award for young swing/bop musicians (Asplund had earned the award in 1990). After Lundgren was named Sweden’s Jazz Musician of the Year in ’94, he and Asplund decided to record an album of standards. 

The result is California Connection, whose cast was assembled on behalf of Four Leaf Clover by veteran Los Angeles producer Dick Bank. The quartet connects at every conceivable level on eight of the twelve selections, and for variety Lundgren and Asplund play without the rhythm section on Swanerud’s best known composition, “Södermalm,” Lundgren and Carpenter alone interpret Irving Berlin’s “How Deep Is the Ocean,” Lundgren plays with Carpenter/Kreibich on the late Stan Hasselgaard’s “Swedish Pastry,” and Asplund does likewise on “I Hear a Rhapsody.” Asplund’s horn is muted on “Rhapsody,” “Cottontail” and “Stockholm Sweetnin’,” open the rest of the way (and sounds at times like a flugelhorn, even though there’s no mention of that in the notes). In any case, he displays uncommon resourcefulness and superior chops, as does Lundgren, who is beyond any doubt one of the most accomplished young post–bop pianists not only in Sweden, but anywhere in the world. Good as Asplund and Lundgren are, Carpenter and Kreibich have no trouble keeping pace with them, and this is about as commendable a session of modern mainstream Jazz as any quartet is likely to fashion.~ Jack Bowers https://www.allaboutjazz.com/california-connection-jan-lundgren-four-leaf-clover-records-review-by-jack-bowers.php

Personnel: Peter Asplund, trumpet; Jan Lundgren, piano; Dave Carpenter, bass; Paul Kreibich, drums.

California Connection

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Hannah Svensson - Places and Dreams

Styles: Vocal
Year: 2019
File: MP3@320K/s
Time: 51:25
Size: 118,8 MB
Art: Front

(5:22)  1. Places and Dreams
(5:12)  2. Beautiful Day
(4:22)  3. Woodstock
(4:45)  4. Friday Afternoon
(3:57)  5. Honeysuckle Rose
(5:28)  6. Something in Return
(3:58)  7. Catch the Stars
(4:10)  8. Not Meant to Be
(4:56)  9. Let Go
(3:58) 10. Malibu Song
(5:12) 11. När natten blir dag

Critically acclaimed singer and songwriter Hannah Svensson releases a new album: ""Places and dreams"" which consists of newly composed material by Hannah as well as interpretations by Joni Mitchell and Dave Castle. The music is characterized by strong melodies and the material on the new album is a meeting between jazz and pop harmonies with plenty of room for improvisation. The group's musical influences range from jazz, pop and blues where their own sound goes like a theme through each song. The album as well as live concerts feature four distinguished jazz musicians: Jan Lundgren (Piano) Ewan Svensson (guitar) Matz Nilsson (bass) and Zoltan Czörsz (drums) who together with Hannah form a fantastic group. Hannah Svensson paves her own way and with five albums established herself as one of our most appreciated jazz singers. She is heard in many different combinations and contexts both in Sweden and internationally. I see music as a lifelong journey and with this album I have landed in something new that has always been within me. Some of the songs are written almost ten years ago, they have been lying there, waiting to be picked up at the right time and context. ""Places and dreams"" is a summary of things that have inspired my life. A dream can take me to new places, but a place can also create dreams, whether it is far away on the beach in Malibu, a beautiful day in the Gothenburg archipelago or a Friday afternoon in Copenhagen. (Hannah Svensson) ~ Editorial Reviews https://www.amazon.com/Places-Dreams-Hannah-Svensson/dp/B07WV6DCTH

Places and Dreams

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Arne Domnérus - Memories of You Disc 1, Disc 2

Album: Memories of You Disc 1

Styles: Saxophone And Clarinet Jazz
Year: 2011
File: MP3@320K/s
Time: 56:23
Size: 129,7 MB
Art: Front

(3:52)  1. Poor Butterfly
(4:10)  2. Memories of You
(9:07)  3. Take the A-Train
(5:39)  4. Blowing in the Wind
(9:24)  5. Lady, be Good!
(8:07)  6. Confessin' (That I Love You)
(3:22)  7. It Don't Mean a Thing
(3:04)  8. I've Got It Bad
(7:03)  9. Jeep's Blues
(2:30) 10. Sometimes I Feel Like a Motherless Child

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Album: Memories of You Disc 2

Time: 49:24

Size: 113,9 MB

(6:57)  1. Things Ain't What They Used to Be

(3:23)  2. Hymn to Freedom

(2:34)  3. The Midnight Sun Will Never Set

(3:48)  4. Autum Leaves

(7:04)  5. Take 5

(4:50)  6. Jazz Me Blues

(4:04)  7. Lush Life

(4:05)  8. Is God a Three Letter Word for Love?

(3:12)  9. The Fable of a Fool

(3:00) 10. Hallelujah

(3:07) 11. That Old Black Magic

(3:15) 12. Out of Nowhere

With the death of Arne Domnerus, at the age of 83, on September 2, 2008, a great and all-pervading light went out on the Swedish jazz scene. "Dompan," as he was universally known in his homeland, started out playing Benny Goodman-influenced clarinet in a Stockholm college band in his teens, graduated to alto saxophone in diverse, long forgotten Swedish dance orchestras, then played in the Swedish jazz band that took the 1949 Paris jazz festival by storm. Later that year he cut his first records as leader for Metronome and the following year led the band that opened on Charlie Parker's tour of Sweden. He made an epic series of records with visiting Americans James Moody, Zoot Sims, George Wallington, Clifford Brown, Art Farmer and Quincy Jones. He played in Harry Arnold's Swedish Radio Big Band from 1956 to 1965, and then took over the leadership when it was reformed as a smaller outfit from 1966-1978. Though at the same time, he was always careful to keep one foot firmly in the world of more commercial music. He cut the first Swedish recording of "Rock Around The Clock," with Gunnar "Siljabloo" Nilson handling the vocals, took part in Dixieland sessions and backed a good many pop singers. In his very Swedish, unassuming way, he said he developed his own style because he couldn't hope to play like his idols, Benny Carter, Johnny Hodges and, of course, Bird. 

This double CD tribute compilation features Domnerus' later recordings. It includes tracks from the classic 1977 album, Jazz at the Pawnshop, from the 1990s albums Sketches of Standards and Live is Life, (both on Proprius Records), plus four tracks from Svenska Jazzklassiker (Naxos Nostalgia), an exercise in nostalgia, featuring rather cheesy 1950s arrangements. There is also a solitary inclusion from a 1974 album, Antiphone Blues (Proprius) of his haunting rendition of the old Negro spiritual "Sometimes I Feel Like a Motherless Child," backed by Gustaf Sjokvist on organ. The Pawnshop tracks are the standouts as straight-ahead jazz content, but Domnerus was also capable of transcending the most unpromising material. One example featured here is his total transformation of the hoary old Bob Dylan folk revival anthem "Blowing in the Wind" which, with the admirable Rune Gustafsson on guitar, is transformed into something of a mini masterpiece. Unfortunately, Dompan was also capable of pretension. His overblown version of his old idol Benny Carter's "The Fable of a Fool," positively drips with sentiment, replete with saccharin string and harp accompaniment. 

~ Chris Mosey https://www.allaboutjazz.com/memories-of-you-arne-domnerus-proprius-review-by-chris-mosey.php

Personnel: Arne Domnerus: alto sax, alto clarinet; Lars Erstrand: vibes; Jan Lundgren: piano; Hans Backenroth: bass; Rasmus Kihlberg: drums; Bengt Hallberg: piano; Georg Riedel: bass; Egil Johansen: drums; Rune Gustafsson: guitar; Gustaf Sjokvist: organ; Gunnar Svensson: piano; Yngve Akerberg: bass; Jack Noren: drums; Rolf Ericson: trumpet

Memories of You Disc 1, Disc 2

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Scott Hamilton - Danish Ballads... & More

Styles: Saxophone Jazz
Year: 2019
File: MP3@320K/s
Time: 60:50
Size: 140,0 MB
Art: Front

(5:27)  1. Forelsket i København
(7:23)  2. Dansevise
(6:56)  3. Havnen
(7:19)  4. Alley Cat
(5:25)  5. Det var en lørdag aften
(5:48)  6. Take it Easy
(7:29)  7. Montmartre Blues
(4:01)  8. My Little Anna
(5:58)  9. I skovens Dybe stille ro
(4:59) 10. Svenninge Blues

A selection of Danish folk tunes, movie themes, cabaret songs and jazz numbers, played by a truly great tenor saxophonist. Scott Hamilton has been based in Europe (first London, now Florence) for around 20 years. He has his regular venues and can call on his favourite musicians wherever he goes. In this case it’s Hans Backenroth on bass, Kristian Leth, drums, and the phenomenal pianist Jan Lundgren. The same team made a splendid album of Swedish tunes a few years ago. I’ve just played them both and think this is perhaps slightly better. They’ve come up with some really interesting and attractive pieces – not the obvious ones either. There’s Dansevise, Denmark’s entry in the 1963 Eurovision song contest, which comes out as a swinging jazz waltz, and the folk song whose title translates as In the Still of the Woods, reputed to have words by Hans Christian Andersen. It makes a beautiful slow ballad. I’ve rarely heard Hamilton play better. His style is often described as “timeless”, being full of echoes and memories of past masters, yet it is always fresh, alert and unmistakably his own. https://www.theguardian.com/music/2019/jul/28/scott-hamilton-quartet-danish-ballads-and-more-review-tenor-sax

Personnel:  Scott Hamilton (tenor sax); Jan Lundgren (piano); Hans Backenroth (bass); Kristian Leth (drums).

Danish Ballads... & More

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Arne Domnérus - Happy Together! Disc 1 And Disc 2

 Album: Happy Together! Disc 1

Styles: Saxophone And Clarinet Jazz
Year: 2002
File: MP3@320K/s
Time: 43:08
Size: 99,4 MB
Art: Front

(5:46)  1. Fine and Dandy
(8:43)  2. Just Squeeze Me (But Don't Tease Me)
(6:56)  3. That Old Black Magic
(6:39)  4. I Didn't Know What Time It Was
(6:30)  5. I Have the Feeling That I Have Been Here Before
(8:32)  6. Moanin'

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Album: Happy Together! Disc 2

Time: 45:28

Size: 104,9 MB

(8:46)  1. Broadway

(8:37)  2. Topsy

(6:15)  3. Barney Goin' Easy

(5:00)  4. Move

(5:40)  5. Three and One

(5:22)  6. Don't You Know I Care

(5:45)  7. S.A.S.

A pair of major Swedish veterans (clarinetist Putte Wickman and altoist Arne Domnerus) join forces with the talented young pianist Jan Lundgren, guitarist Rune Gustafsson, bassist Jesper Lundgaard and drummer Aage Tanggaard to perform two CDs full of straight-ahead music. Although Wickman and Domnerus (who switches to clarinet on "Barney Goin' Easy") sound fine during these live performances (which have announcements in Swedish), the emphasis is generally on slower tempos, and the interpretations are not as fiery or competitive as one might hope. Pleasing but not essential music, with some of the brighter moments occurring on "Fine and Dandy," "Moanin'," "Broadway" and "Move." ~ Scott Yanow https://www.allmusic.com/album/happy-together%21-mw0001004133

Personnel: Putte Wickman - Clarinet; Arne Domnerus - Saxophone; Jan Lundgren - Piano; Rune Gustafsson - Guitar;  Jesper Lundgaard -Bass;  Aage Tanggaard - Drums.

Happy Together! Disc 1 And Disc 2

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Jan Lundgren Trio - Plays The Music Of Jule Styne

Bitrate: MP3@320K/s
Time: 66:43
Size: 152.7 MB
Styles: Piano jazz
Year: 2016
Art: Front

[4:20] 1. You Say You Care
[4:26] 2. People
[7:45] 3. Make Someone Happy
[6:54] 4. What Makes The Sunset
[7:48] 5. It's You Or No-One
[5:09] 6. Dance Only With Me
[7:22] 7. The Things We Did Last Summer
[6:39] 8. The Party's Over
[5:54] 9. Guess I'll Hang My Tears Out To Dry
[5:22] 10. Time After Time
[5:00] 11. I Fall In Love Too Easily

Jan Lundgren, piano; Mattias Svensson, bass; Morten Lund, drums. Special guests -- Eric Alexander, tenor saxophone; Mark Murphy.

In reviewing an earlier album by Swedish pianist Jan Lundgren ( Bird of Passage, Four Leaf Clover), I wrote that "he has, among other things, exquisite taste, marvelous touch, flawless technique, an attentive ear, power to spare... and a bounteous wellspring of creative ideas." Listeners should be pleased to learn that nothing has changed.

Well, one thing has changed—the music itself. Rather than playing mostly his own compositions, as he did on Passage and the more recent For Listeners Only (Sittel 9273), or Swedish folk music, as on Landscapes (Sittel 9297), Lundgren has chosen to reprise songs by the renowned Broadway/Hollywood tunesmith Jule Styne whose body of work includes such memorable themes as "Make Someone Happy," "People," "The Party's Over," "Time After Time" and many others. Lundgren has also enlarged the trio on half a dozen numbers, inviting vocalists Cæcelie Norby ("Make Someone Happy," "The Party's Over") and Mark Murphy ("What Makes the Sunset," "The Things We Did Last Summer") and tenor saxophonist Eric Alexander ("It's You or No One," "Guess I'll Hang My Tears Out to Dry") to help enliven the session. Why he found it necessary to do so is anyone's guess, but Alexander's fiery commentary is welcome in any framework, no questions asked, and he burns some serious rubber on "It's You or No One."

The trio sans guests opens with "You Say You Care" and "People," closes with "Time After Time" and "I Fall in Love Too Easily" and is heard as well on "Dance Only with Me." Lundgren, bassist Mattias Svensson and drummer Morten Lund are fastened at the hips, Lundgren solos astutely on every number, and Svensson and Lund respond emphatically whenever their names are called. While Norby and Murphy are, to me, the shaky links in the chain, those who appreciate vocals more than I may see that quite differently.

In any event, Lundgren, his capable colleagues and Alexander's impassioned tenor make the album well worth one's consideration, as do the wonderful songs by the great Jule Styne. ~Jack Bowers

Plays The Music Of Jule Styne

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Arne Domnérus & Bernt Rosengren - Face To Face

Styles: Saxophone Jazz
Year: 1999
File: MP3@256K/s
Time: 67:37
Size: 127,5 MB
Art: Front

(6:00)  1. Out Of Nowhere
(4:56)  2. Body And Soul
(5:47)  3. But Not For Me
(5:48)  4. Star Dust
(3:11)  5. That Tired Old Routine Called Love
(4:40)  6. St Louis Blues
(4:02)  7. My Old Flame
(6:39)  8. I Cover The Waterfront
(4:43)  9. Lover Man
(5:17) 10. Just Friends
(5:36) 11. Just One Of Those Things
(4:41) 12. What Kind Of Fool Am I
(6:09) 13. It Don't Mean A Thing

Swedish-born saxophonist Arne Domnérus looms large in the annals of European jazz his breakthrough performance at the Paris Jazz Fair of 1949 is widely cited as the tipping point of the Scandinavian bop movement. Born in Stockholm on December 20, 1924, Domnérus studied clarinet as a child and made his professional debut during the early '40s, playing alto sax in popular dance bands led by Lulle Ellboj and Simon Brehm. By 1942 he led his own group and made his recorded debut in 1945, honing an urbane, sophisticated style that nevertheless possessed an urgency often absent from the cool, remote tone often associated with Swedish jazz. American icons Charlie Parker and Dizzy Gillespie were both in attendance for Domnérus 1949 Paris festival gig, a performance which served notice that players of European descent could offer their own authoritative interpretations of music largely considered an African-American phenomenon Parker was so impressed that he signed Domnérus for the Scandinavian tour he mounted a year later. Throughout the '50s Domnérus headlined the Stockholm jazz club Nalen, often appearing alongside trumpeter Rolf Ericson and baritone saxophonist Lars Gullin (who both turn up in the 1952 short film Arne Domnérus Spelar). Domnérus also joined Stockholm locals including pianist Bengt Hallberg for a landmark 1953 Swedish tour in support of American trumpeters Clifford Brown and Quincy Jones. From 1956 to 1965 Domnérus served as a member of Harry Arnold's Swedish Radio Big Band, continuing on with its successor Radiojazzgruppen through 1978 concurrently he wrote for television and films, most notably scoring 1966's Nattlek, a film produced by Mai Zetterling and based on her own novel. Domnérus' 1977 LP Jazz at the Pawnshop proved an unprecedented hit, selling more than half a million copies upon its original release a year later, he returned with Duets for Duke, a collaboration with Hallberg that captures both men at the zenith of their artistry. While remaining true to his bop roots, Domnérus cited traditional Scandinavian folk music as a growing influence throughout the later chapters of his career, and from the '70s on he regularly performed live in churches, inspired by Duke Ellington's own sacred concerts. He also toured the U.S. and Japan, and recorded with American notables including Clark Terry, James Moody and Jimmy Rowles. After several years in poor health, Domnérus died in Stockholm on September 2, 2008 at the age of 83. ~ Jason Ankeny http://www.allmusic.com/artist/arne-domn%C3%A9rus-mn0000075504/biography

Greatly influenced by Sonny Rollins, Bernt Rosengren has been one of Sweden's most respected tenor saxmen since the 1950s. The big-toned, hard-blowing improviser was 19 when he started to make a name for himself in Scandinavia as a member of the quintet Jazz Club 57, and at 21, he was hired to represent Sweden in the Newport Jazz Band in the U.S. In 1961, his tenor was heard in American director Roman Polanski's debut film, Knife in the Water. Over the years, several of Rosengren's albums topped Swedish jazz polls, including Stockholm Dues in 1965, Improvisations in 1969, and Notes From the Underground in 1974. It was during the mid-'60s that Rosengren played alongside trumpeter Thad Jones in a sextet led by American pianist George Russell, who was living in Europe at the time. Although he started out playing hard bop and never gave it up, he got more into post-bop experimentation in the late '60s, when trumpeter Don Cherry was in his quartet, and the early to mid-'70s, when he combined jazz with Turkish and Middle Eastern folk as part of the group Sevda. In 1975, he played regularly with Swedish baritone saxman Lars Gullin and formed his own big band. The 1980s found Rosengren working with American hard boppers ranging from guitarist Doug Raney to pianist Horace Parlan. And in the 1990s, his activities included a jazz salute to the music from Porgy & Bess (The Bernt Rosengren Octet Plays George Gershwin's Porgy & Bess) and being featured prominently on the great Swedish trumpeter Rolf Ericson's final recording before his death, I Love You So (1995, Amigo). Turning 60 in 1997, Rosengren still played with the energy and stamina of a young man. ~ Alex Henderson http://www.allmusic.com/artist/bernt-rosengren-mn0000048240

Personnel:  Alto Saxophone – Arne Domnérus (tracks: 1,3,4,7-10,13);  Bass – Hans Backenroth;  Clarinet – Arne Domnérus (tracks: 2,12);  Drums – Aage Tanggaard;  Flute – Bernt Rosengren (tracks: 2);  Piano – Jan Lundgren;  Tenor Saxophone – Bernt Rosengren (tracks: 1,3,6-11,13)

Face To Face

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