Having said that, I’m not about to review Christian Wallumrød’s album, recorded 2001 – Sofienberg Variations. Just mention the fact that it has entertained me for years. I’ve never really been able to work about exactly what it is that keeps me occupied with it, as I’ve been for almost a decade. Perhaps it’s the flirt on the opening track with the courtly European dance, Sarabande – a musical theme that I’ve enjoyed for some time. Or perhaps it’s the simplicity of it. Perhaps it’s the slow – at times very slow, pace. No idea. But I do know that it’s brilliant.

The Spotify entry for “Sofienberg Variations” is located here.
The label is ECM Records (as ever).
And they’re slightly reminiscent of this gang (In The Country). However only slightly.

Oh, and also, while we’re talking of reviews: This is what Nick Coleman had to say about it, from Independent on Sunday:

“You should hear this record. It moves, but penitentially and quietly – a reverent elision of influences. Variations is partly improvised, partly composed, and it echoes Bach, Schubert, Ornette Coleman, Miles Davis, Paul Bley and the 16th and 17th centuries. But like the breeze, these are only influences, not anchors. The thing is actually driven by the conviction that if energy is to be expended, expend it on leaving stuff out, to create space. The ensemble comprises piano, drums, violin, occasional tenor sax and the extraordinary trumpet of Arve Henriksen. They are, of course, Norwegian.”

I think it means that he thinks the album is really great because of what it doesn’t sound like. Did that make you any wiser? No. I guessed as much. Perhaps really really good music cannot be told, it has to be heard.

The new Tomasz Stanko jazz album, Dark Eyes, seems to be performing exceedingly well. On the pop charts. The following piece of intriguing information is to be found on the ECM Records site:

“Tomasz Stanko’s newest recording “Dark Eyes” seems set to become one of the most popular recordings of the trumpeter’s long career. In his Polish homeland, it is already a major hit, soaring in the second week of release into the upper reaches of the pop charts. “Dark Eyes” is currently lodged at # 6, several positions ahead of, for instance, Barbra Streisand, Madonna and the late Michael Jackson.”

Surprising, to say the least, bearing in mind that its a jazz album. And not the watered down, overhyped, talkshow host-fuelled jazz of Melody Gardot. Dark eyes is by no means an easy listener, even if it lacks some of the more arcane moments of his past recordings.

Does this spring some new direction for the folk of Poland then? A country where the women are overwomenly and the men all look like thugs? One but dares to hope. The only thing that can be concluded with any level of statistical truth is that the cd-buying audience in the major Polish cities certainly seems to be far demanding than those in their European counterparts. Good enough, I suppose.

Tomasz Stanko at Last.FM
Tomasz Stanko’s “Dark Eyes” at Spotify
Tomasz Stankos Website (english version)
Background on “Dark Eyes” via ECM Records

An musical antidote to whatever might have poisoned your ears during the day; Abercrombie is a wistful, elegant jazz guitarist that first caught my ear with his elegantly textured piece “Open Land” from 1999. Ever since, the group have been consistent in their efforts to keep their styles varied but never chaotic, elegant, but never snobbish.

On, “Wait till you see her”, this tradition is certainly contiued. Feldmans violin is an excellent companion to Abercrombies guitar, making the position sound remarkably modern in spite of the dated (but beautiful) Rodgers and Hart-influences.

Detox-therapy for tired modern ears.

The full background story on the piece via ECM Records.

John Abercrombie Quartet: “Wait till you see her” on Spotify.
Other, excellent, positions from ECM Records on Spotify, aswell.