Record Reviews

FAIRPLAY & NORMA WINSTONE ~ FAR TO GO GRAPPA 4056 (Barcode: 7033662040568) ~ NORWAY ~ Jazz Recorded: 1992 Released: 1993 This is a wonderful and little known album by Norwegian quartet FairplayFind albums by this artist, which consists of saxophonist / bass clarinetist Tor YttredalFind albums by this artist, keyboardist Vigleik StoraasFind albums by this artist, bassist Torbjorn HillersoyFind albums by this artist and drummer Trond KopperudFind albums by this artist. British vocalist / lyricist Norma WinstoneFind albums by this artist joins the quartet performing vocal parts and contributing lyrics to four of the songs on the album, which offers ten original compositions, all composed by the quartet members. The album was recorded at the legendary Rainbow Studio in Oslo with Jan Erik KongshaugFind albums by this artist in charge of the recording magic, with spectacular results as usual. The music is an absolutely stunning example of Nordic Jazz, with a slight touch of Fusion, due to the utilization of electric bass and keyboards. The music is strongly melody based, with the omnipresent Nordic melancholy and introspection, but ventures into open, more freely improvised explorations on the instrumental tracks. Winstone fits wonderfully to this musical environment both as a vocalist and a lyricist, and the cooperation is perfectly organic and as a result also extremely effective. Her vocal and improvised vocalese are absolutely top notch. The instrumental pieces provide an opportunity to the quartet members to explore more adventurous direction, but overall the entire album is beautifully coherent and definitely offers a clearly defined musical aesthetics. It is interesting to hear this music in retrospect, especially in view of the later career of the members of the group, including ECMFind albums on this label recordings. Overall this is a lost treasure and an absolute gem for all Winstone fans, British and Scandinavian Jazz enthusiasts and all people with ears in their heads. Not easy to find but worth the effort – absolutely stunning stuff!

Updated: 18/06/2018Posted: 18/06/2018

CD 1 Recommend To A Friend

KARIN KROG ~ OSLO CALLING MEANTIME 14 (Barcode: 7051070000141) ~ NORWAY ~ Jazz Recorded: 2007 Released: 2008 This is an album by the Norwegian Jazz singer Karin KrogFind albums by this artist, recorded with a Norwegian trio comprising of pianist Vigleik StoraasFind albums by this artist, bassist Bjorn AlterhaugFind albums by this artist and drummer Tom OlstadFind albums by this artist, collectively known as The Meantimes. Several guest appear on selected tracks, including British saxophonist John SurmanFind albums by this artist and the legendary sound engineer Jan Erik KongshaugFind albums by this artist, who was also an accomplished guitarist. The album presents twelve tracks, two of which are original songs by Krog, two others are songs co-written by Storaas and Krog and the rest are standards. The album is a wonderful testimony of Krog’s love of the vocal Jazz idiom, which always reflects her incredible talent and her superb interaction with other musicians. Her treatment of Jazz standards is absolutely unique and instantly recognizable, and she has been one of my favorite Jazz vocalists since as long as I can remember. Overall, this is brilliant music, which deserves to be heard. Krog has very few competitors as a Jazz vocalist, with her idiosyncratic approach and incredible feel, and her superb recorded legacy accumulated over the years is a true treasure chest. This is an absolute must to vocal Jazz enthusiasts.

Updated: 19/08/2023Posted: 19/08/2023

CD 1 Recommend To A Friend

JOHN SURMAN ~ NORDIC QUARTET ECM 1553 (Barcode: 731452712028) ~ UK ~ Jazz Recorded: 1994 Released: 1995 Breathtakingly beautiful album by British saxophone Giant John SurmanFind albums by this artist, recorded with Nordic (or rather Norwegian) friends: singer Karin KrogFind albums by this artist, guitarist Terje RypdalFind albums by this artist and pianist Vigleik StoraasFind albums by this artist. Anybody familiar with Surman´s immense talent needs no introduction to his music, but this album is rather special in many respects and therefore uniquely interesting. The Norwegian partners fill this album with typical Scandinavian chilly atmosphere and the result is simply stunning. Rypdal, as usual, adds his ambient layers, Storaas delicately fills the spaces with his touch, but the true star of this album is my old friend Karin Krog, with her amazing vocal performances. Although little known outside her country, I´ve always considered her as one of the greatest female Jazz singers out there. Surman is of course brilliant, as always, both as a player and a composer (he composed and co-composed the majority of the music herein). This music works better in the heat of the day than a full-blast air conditioning unit! An absolute must!

CD 1 Recommend To A Friend