Tracks:
1. Staffan Abeleen Quintet: Pia
2. The Dexter Gordon - Slide Hampton Sextet: A Day in Vienna
3. Kjell Karlsen and his Orchestra: Big P.
4. Sahib Shihab and the Danish Radio Jazz Group: Di-Da
5. Esa Pethman: Mr. Peter
6. Jazz Quintet '60: Buddah
7. The Otto Donner Element All Stars: Haka Blues
8. Brew Moore: Piger
9. Erik Andresen Quartet: Cordon Bleu
10. Lars Lystedt Sextet: The Runner
11. Christian Schwindt Quintet: Helsinki at Noon
On the Spot - A PEEK AT 1960’s NORDIC JAZZ SCENE
ON THE SPOT - A PEEK AT 1960’s NORDIC JAZZ SCENE
As the title suggests, this is but a fleeting, though by no means hasty, glance at the diverse and meandering Nordic jazz scene. The object of this compilation is not to show a detailed cross-section – on the contrary, its a rather haphazard selection. But jeez, what a selection! The common denominator in this case is, that all of these tunes were recorded in the Nordic countries – in this instance Finland, Sweden, Norway and Denmark.
As the 1960’s emerged, one of the chief changes in popular culture was, that jazz lost its dance music crown to rock and pop, and had to adjust to the changing climate. This had a number of Americans deciding to move across the Atlantic, although that was the situation more or less over here as well. Some of the migrants included this comp’s Dexter Gordon, Sahib Shihab and Brew Moore, whose playing echoes the sophisticated groove of the original art form, layers of history and, above all, the flawless command of their instruments.
For instance, Gordon, who started in the 1940’s, was presumably a solid influence on many Nordic musicians featured on this compilation. Many of the local greats on this collection represent what would be called the third generation of Scandinavian jazz – a crowd more international than its predecessors, not least because they had a chance to see top American names in their home towns and could pick up their tunes in their local record stores, to paraphrase the jazz chronicler Jukka Haavisto. The kids had a swell advantage over their elders, and they sure used it. Fortunately, this shines through in the music, and indeed on this very compilation.
Scandinavia is often tagged with the notion of melancholy and the idea of the winter gloom, the counterpoint being the lush nature of white summer nights. There is no such contrived theme on this collection. This is bluesy rhythm music and the conscious forerunners of the 1960s rumbled mostly to the tune of the latest boss grooves across the Atlantic.