Home » Jazz Articles » Album Review » Nathan Eklund Group: The Crooked Line

208

Nathan Eklund Group: The Crooked Line

By

Sign in to view read count
Nathan Eklund Group: The Crooked Line
The Crooked Line is New York based trumpeter Nathan Eklund's vibrant sophomore effort, following his 2006 debut, The View From Afar (Jazz Excursion Records). Joined by his erstwhile quintet, Eklund and company ply a subtly adventurous program of mainstream post-bop.

Joined by saxophonist Craig Yaremko, pianist Joe Elefante, bassist Brian Killeen and drummer Josh Dion, Eklund and company are typical of many young conservatory trained jazz musicians; technically proficient and highly accomplished, yet still finding their own voices on their respective instruments.

A solid soloist with a warm lyrical tone, Eklund demonstrates early promise with his creative re-interpretations of classic covers. While his originals traffic in swinging hard-bop, it's his hip re-interpretations of three choice covers that make the biggest impression.

Jerome Kern's "All The Things You Are" is the most traditional cover on the album, albeit laced with inventive harmonic variations, full of lyric beauty and proof Eklund and company know their changes. Lee Morgan's hard bop classic "Totem Pole" may seem like a predictable cover choice for an outfit like this, but casting the tune as a straight-up tango full of dramatic verve is anything but expected.

Re-imagining Bjork's Teutonic epic "Isobel" as a funky soul-jazz number, Eklund brings a fresh perspective to her work. While covers of Bjork and Radiohead are nothing new for the younger jazz generation, re-envisioning a grandiose tune like "Isobel" as a gospel-inflected groove shows serious forethought and a welcome sense of playfulness.

A devotee of Thad Jones and Kenny Werner, Eklund's own writing swings with harmonic complexity and tuneful accessibility. Employing melodies of unusual bar length, metric modulation and dynamically varied arrangements, Eklund's writing offers subtle twists on classic formulas. From the delicate ballad "More Ways Than One" and the brisk waltz "Emancipated Thinking," to the Latin lilt of "Kydee" and the brisk post-bop of "Scatterbrain," his tunes sample from a deep well of classic jazz traditions.

A subtly innovative and highly enjoyable sophomore effort, The Crooked Line shows great future potential for Eklund and his group.

Track Listing

The Mayor; Emancipated Thinking; Isobel; Scatterbrained Prelude; Scatterbrained; More Ways Than One; All the Things You Are; Kydee; Totem Pole; The Crooked Line.

Personnel

Nathan Eklund: trumpet, flugelhorn; Craig Yaremko: saxophones; Joe Elefante: piano; Brain Killeen: bass; Josh Dion: drums.

Album information

Title: The Crooked Line | Year Released: 2007 | Record Label: Jazz Excursion Records

Comments

Tags


For the Love of Jazz
Get the Jazz Near You newsletter All About Jazz has been a pillar of jazz since 1995, championing it as an art form and, more importantly, supporting the musicians who create it. Our enduring commitment has made "AAJ" one of the most culturally important websites of its kind, read by hundreds of thousands of fans, musicians and industry figures every month.

You Can Help
To expand our coverage even further and develop new means to foster jazz discovery and connectivity we need your help. You can become a sustaining member for a modest $20 and in return, we'll immediately hide those pesky ads plus provide access to future articles for a full year. This winning combination will vastly improve your AAJ experience and allow us to vigorously build on the pioneering work we first started in 1995. So enjoy an ad-free AAJ experience and help us remain a positive beacon for jazz by making a donation today.

More

Sensual
Rachel Z
Over and Over
Tony Monaco Trio
Love Is Passing Thru
Roberto Magris

Popular

Get more of a good thing!

Our weekly newsletter highlights our top stories, our special offers, and upcoming jazz events near you.