• List Price: $16.99  
• Your Price: $16.99
• In Stock: 5

You must login to place orders.




Not purchasing for a business? See our consumer site.

Received wisdom has it that Nordic jazz is essentially cool, reflecting the climate, and atmospheric, reflecting the fjords and the landscape. Eirik Berg Svela's music is certainly cool, although it takes its cue from a coast thousands of miles from Norway. Indeed, in the promo for another, home-based quartet, Svela admits to having an unhealthy obsession with New York guitarists. The international quartet he fronts here confirms his commitment to the American jazz tradition. Louisiana-born Hammond organist Sam Yahel, English saxophonist Dave Edge and Norwegian drummer Tore Thorvaldsen Sandbakken all have their own voices and approaches but their playing and support allow Svela to emphasise his love for - and to add to - the music that came out of the great Blue Note and Prestige recordings of the 1960s. Very often on these sessions, the tunes called out were standards that all the musicians would know. This was of necessity because records were made at such regular intervals and with such short available studio time that the leaders didn't always have new original material to play. Of the nine tracks here, one, I'll Be Seeing You, is a standard and another, New Arm Rash, is a contrafact, a new melody written over an existing chord sequence, in this case that of There Will Never Be Another You. The other seven tracks are Svela originals and it often seems to this listener that the guitarist has, whether by collision or decision, created what might turn out to be new standards. He has a terrific ear for melody and he has developed the knack of creating chord changes and arrangements that his fellow musicians clearly love extemporising over. The stepping stone-like bridge that follows Shame (On) Us's twisting and turning initial statement and End of Days' rising progression are just two examples.

Track Listing