Niclas Bardeleben (drums); Jan Harbeck (tenor sax); Jesper Løvdal (clarinet/baritone sax); Henrik Bolberg (trumpet/flugel); Vincent Nilsson (trombone); Lasse Mørke (drums).
A 12" piece of vinyl all the way from Copenhagen that practically made its own way to the turntable, brushing aside the other contenders with ease. I was looking forward to this one having heard leader Bardeleben on a recent recording by the Niels Lan Doky Trio (River of Time) and I was intrigued to check out his take on some New Orleans' classics.
Danish jazz has always held an interest - Papa Bue with our local boy the late Joe Errington on trumpet, recordings by Dexter Gordon and Brew Moore, Fessor's Big City Band and many more - this one is, in jazz terms, Lurpak on rye bread - in other words, tasty and satisfying.
Bardeleben, in the sleeve notes, describes how he fell in love with the sound of a New Orleans style marching band. It was a love affair that became more than just with the music but with the broader picture of the city and its culture.
The Crescent City, the Big Easy, call it what you will was the obvious influence behind this, his first album as leader. However, Niclas is also Danish and a native of Copenhagen and that too entered into the mix. The result was six tracks of New Orleans associated tunes, liberally spread with local colour to produce what was probably the finest integration of the two cultures in the world!
Bolberg is lyrical - Bix meets Chet meets Miles - and his solos bridge the gap between idioms and cultures. Nilsson plungers like Bubber on New Orleans, the two saxes also make their presence felt throughout the album. On the final track they go for broke - is this Trane and Sonny? However, the tower of strength, apart from the leader's drumming and arranging is bassist Mørke who, in the absence of piano or guitar, holds it all together.
Quite an amazing album that throws the rule book out of the window when it comes to typecasting. As Duke famously said ...
Lance
Dear Old Southland; Basin Street Blues; Bechet's Creole Blues; Someday You'll Be Sorry; Jeepers Creepers; New Orleans; Who Took the Happiness Out?
Available via the usual suspects.
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