Featured artists: Kustbandet / Arbete Och Fritid
Club Jazz 6 (SR, 1972)
Instrumental
International relevance: ***
”Club Jazz” was a series of nine
volumes of radio recordings released on Swedish Radio's own imprint
SR Records from 1970 to 1974, a jazz equivalent of sorts to the early
80's ”Tonkraft – Levande musik från Sverige” series. The
featured artists were either given a full album or one LP side each,
and the series captures performers such as Eje Thelin, Stefan Abeleen
with Lasse Färnlöf, Opposite Corner and vocalist Nannie Porres. The
most interesting volume from a progg perspective is also the one with
the most bizarre coupling. The sixth installment has one side of
Kustbandet's uninteresting trad jazz and the second one dedicated to
Arbete & Fritid. The Arbete & Fritid part is Ove Karlsson's
fantastic 20 minute track ”Ostpusten-Västpusten” in its
entirety, recorded at Uppsala Stadsteater in April 1972. It's Arbete
& Fritid at their gorgeous best, and thankfully the track was
resurrected as a bonus track on the CD reissue of their third album
making it easier to obtain (and easier to avoid Kustbandet).
Jazz från det svenska 70-talet
(Caprice, 1974)
Featured artists: Kustbandet / Jazz Doctors / Rolf Larsson & Jack Lidström Dixieband / Ove Linds Kvartett / Björn Milder / Umeå Big Band with Benny Bailey / Peps Blues Band / Gugge Hedrenius Big Blues Band / Lars Gullins Kvintett / Nisse Sandströms Kvartett / Lasse Werner och hans vänner / Nannie Porres Kvintett / Stefan Abeleens Kvintett / Arbe Domnérus Kvintett med Rune Gustafsson / Arbete & Fritid / Bernt Rosengrens Kvartett / Rena Rama / Egba
Featured artists: Kustbandet / Jazz Doctors / Rolf Larsson & Jack Lidström Dixieband / Ove Linds Kvartett / Björn Milder / Umeå Big Band with Benny Bailey / Peps Blues Band / Gugge Hedrenius Big Blues Band / Lars Gullins Kvintett / Nisse Sandströms Kvartett / Lasse Werner och hans vänner / Nannie Porres Kvintett / Stefan Abeleens Kvintett / Arbe Domnérus Kvintett med Rune Gustafsson / Arbete & Fritid / Bernt Rosengrens Kvartett / Rena Rama / Egba
International relevance: **
Instrumental, English
vocals
The title means ”Jazz from the
Swedish 70's” and features a wide stylistic range, from the blues
of Peps Persson to the fusion of Egba, from the dixieland stomp of
Kustbandet to the post bop of Bernt Rosengrens Kvartett. So it serves
its purpose of being a non-discriminating catalogue of contemporary
jazz but it's also an incredibly frustrating spin if you listen to it
all way through. But with such an array of styles, there are of
course worthwhile moments. Fans of vocal jazz should be delighted by
Nannie Porres's take on ”Willow Weep for Me” – after all, she's
the second finest Swedish jazz vocalist after Monica Zetterlund. The
contribution from the aforementioned quartet led by Bernt Rosengren
is good and lively. Rena Rama makes one of their best vinyl
appearances with ”Daisy Lee McGhee” – probably the best
selection on the album, and better than Arbete & Fritid's bluesy
but unsatisfying ”En solig dag på landet/The Big Bad Bag of
Baba-Louie”.
Det nyJAZZte från Göteborg (Caprice,
1977)
Featured artists: Mount Everest / Opposite Corner / Mwendo Dawa / Soffgruppen
Featured artists: Mount Everest / Opposite Corner / Mwendo Dawa / Soffgruppen
Instrumental
International relevance: **
Another Caprice Records release, this
time showcasing the talents of the mid 70's Gothenburg jazz and
improvisation scene. Mount Everest (as a trio) has a great Coltrane
fuelled medley of ”Black Snow” and ”Sherpa Dance”, Mwendo Dawa is a little too close to fusion for my comfort, Opposite Corner
is good, while Soffgruppen isn't quite as great as on their album.
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