Home » Jazz Articles » Album Review » Tony Malaby/ Per-Oscar Nilsson / Johnny Aman / Peter Nil...

6

Tony Malaby/ Per-Oscar Nilsson / Johnny Aman / Peter Nilsson: 9 Stygn

By

View read count
Tony Malaby/ Per-Oscar Nilsson / Johnny Aman / Peter Nilsson: 9 Stygn
The sophomore release of Swedish guitarist Per-Oscar Nilsson strengthens his ties with American jazz. His debut, Now! (Connective, 2010), with his own group, featured saxophonist Marcus Strickland. 9 Stygn, recorded a year later, features Nilsson as the main composer for a quartet comprised of saxophonist Tony Malaby and fellow Malmö bassist Johnny Åman, who collaborated with Nilsson on his debut, and experienced drummer Peter Nilsson.

Per-Oscar Nilsson's compositions are structured with clear melodic lines, careful, linear progressions deeply rooted in the jazz guitar tradition, yet still offer enough room for other musicians to comment and articulate. A few of his compositions pay tribute to the influential legacy of ECM, especially pianist Keith Jarrett's Scandinavian quartet with saxophonist Jan Garbarek, as on the playful "Läppen," that follows the same dynamics as the legendary quartet's live releases. Nilsson's lyrical guitar tone and subtle attack bring to mind another ECM artist, guitarist John Abercrombie, admired for his musicality and harmonic sophistication. Like Abercrombie, Nilsson prefers to let his musical ideas mature organically, best featured on his extended solos on "Beneath the Concrete Cap," or on the cover of trumpeter Miles Davis' untimely "Circle."

Malaby opts for a reserved role as a sideman and wisely stimulates Nilsson's articulations; the two trade emphatic solos, but don't attempt to challenge the melodic envelope or the harmonic boundaries. Only on the brief, open-ended improvisations, does Malby takes the lead, enforcing tougher interplay and undermining Nilsson's melodic approach. Åman and Peter Nilsson add a driving rhythmic base, as on "The Green One," but more often, as on the airy title tune or "Now," gently color the melodic theme.

9 Stygn clocks in at more than 78 minutes. A shorter and tighter selection of originals, balanced with more improvised pieces, would have benefited this release. Still, Per-Oscar Nilsson is a voice with which to reckon.

Track Listing

Blue Tirana; Läppen; Impro II; 9 Stygn; Refectorium; The Green One; Impro III; Now; Beneath the Concrete Cap; loose Fit; Circle; Impro I .

Personnel

Tony Malaby: tenor saxophone; Per-Oscar Nilsson: guitar; Johnny Åman: bass; Peter Nilsson: drums.

Album information

Title: 9 Stygn | Year Released: 2013 | Record Label: Fresh Sound New Talent

Tags

Comments


PREVIOUS / NEXT




Support All About 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 make 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.

Go Ad Free!

To maintain our platform while developing new means to foster jazz discovery and connectivity, we need your help. You can become a sustaining member for as little as $20 and in return, we'll immediately hide those pesky ads plus provide access to future articles for a full year. This winning combination vastly improves 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.

Near

More

Tramonto
John Taylor
Ki
Natsuki Tamura / Satoko Fujii
Duality Pt: 02
Dom Franks' Strayhorn
The Sound of Raspberry
Tatsuya Yoshida / Martín Escalante

Popular

Old Home/New Home
The Brian Martin Big Band
My Ideal
Sam Dillon
Ecliptic
Shifa شفاء - Rachel Musson, Pat Thomas, Mark Sanders
Lado B Brazilian Project 2
Catina DeLuna & Otmaro Ruíz

Get more of a good thing!

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

Install All About Jazz

iOS Instructions:

To install this app, follow these steps:

All About Jazz would like to send you notifications

Notifications include timely alerts to content of interest, such as articles, reviews, new features, and more. These can be configured in Settings.