I don’t know how many jazz groups in Sweden are able to make a decent living, but judging from the
number of albums that have recently emerged from that snow-swept country, a large number are
evidently
trying. Coincidentally, Zonk is the second disc I’ve reviewed within a week that consists
entirely of original compositions by the leader -- in this case bassist Kjell Jansson -- except for
Vernon Duke’s “I Can’t Get Started.” The other was pianist Ronny Johansson’s Jubilee
(Imogena 2003). The Swedes must have a special fondness for that melody.
Zonk, Jansson’s fourth album as leader or co-leader, was recorded in concert last August
at the Gerlesborg School of Fine Arts. The audience may have been asked to remain quiet and hold
its applause until the end of each number, since it does exactly that. If there was any verbal
communication with the audience between numbers, it has been excised. The music itself is cleanly
articulated but not without spontaneity or passion, and Jansson and his mates comprise a talented
post-bop unit that acquits itself well on every number.
Jansson’s compositions are more than window-dressing, serving as provocative springboards
for lively and rewarding improvisation by each member of the group. There’s humor too, as on “Ant
Steps,” which Jansson describes as “an abbreviation of the famous Coltrane title, ‘Giant Steps’.”
Tenor saxophonist Gilbert Holmström sits in for Trane, scurrying through the changes in a manner
reminiscent of Joe Lovano, Don Braden, Branford Marsalis, Joshua Redman and other well-known
post-boppers.
Holmström and drummer Rune Carlsson take a coffee break on “I Can’t Get Started” and “In the
Shadow,” where pianist Tommy Kotter plays counterpoint to Jansson’s resonant arco bass. The
leader wrote “In the Shadow” as a tribute to Duke Ellington’s legendary bassist Jimmy Blanton; he
says “I Can’t Get Started” has been a favorite song of his since he heard it performed by Charles
Mingus, also in a duo setting.
“Zonk” is a sixteen-bar blues theme, “Italian Wood” a groover whose title acknowledges its
resemblance to the Beatles’ “Norwegian Wood.” Jansson wrote the lovely “Morgon” (Morning),
introduced by Kotter’s expressive piano, as an homage to nature; the groovy “Movin’ East” denotes
the quartet’s move from its home in Gothenburg to a more rural location nearby. “Bassistic” is a
thirty-two bar blues composed from the bass rather than the piano, “For My Lady” an ardent love
song to Jansson’s wife of more than thirty years.
The quartet earns high marks for resourcefulness and craftsmanship, the album for its excellent
sound and generous playing time. This is on a par with much of the contemporary small-group
music being played in this country. I hope these deserving gentlemen can find a steady gig.
Contact: Dragon Records, P.O. Box 4068, SE–102, 62 Stockholm, Sweden.
Visit www.dragonrecords.se.
Email drarec@dragonrecords.se.
~ Jack Bowers
