Articles by Annika Westman

Double Standards: Volume One & Volume Two

by Annika Westman
July 3, 2007

Double Standards Volume One & Volume Two Kopasetic Productions 2006

It's sometimes asserted that, when it comes to the best known standard tunes, every conceivable angle worth exploring has already been explored. With tunes like “Body And Soul" or “All Of You," for instance, what could possibly be said that hasn't already been said a thousand times over? Well, a whole lot, actually, in the right musicians' hands. For songs of this ...

Jacob Christoffersen: Facing The Sun

by Annika Westman
December 13, 2005

Denmark has a great jazz tradition. Just like Paris, Copenhagen has been a haven for jazz musicians in exile (from the US, South Africa, etc.) for decades. Jazz has had a strong position in the city since the '40s, and many great players have been produced in this fertile climate, the best known being Niels-Henning Ørsted Pedersen. Well, here is another one that deserves international success: pianist Jacob Christoffersen.

The impression that strikes immediately and persists through the whole CD ...

Speak In Tones: Subaro

by Annika Westman
December 2, 2005

Subaro is an exciting double CD in the genre of world jazz, produced through a collaboration among more than a dozen musicians, with Daniel Moreno and Mike Ellis as initiators. The recording is the result of a two-year series of concerts and multimedia events at the NYC club 56 Walker Street with players from jazz and world music communities.

This is very interesting music indeed, a mixture of elements from jazz in the slightly avant-gardistic area and ethnic sounds from ...

Sam Rivers/Ben Street/Kresten Osgood: Violet Violets

by Annika Westman
November 16, 2005

Since this group's first CD was called Purple Violets, what would be more appropriately redundant than naming the sequel Violet Violets? The legendary Sam Rivers did it again--actually both CD's are a result of the same great session, and this is another one without a dull moment. The lineup is the same, except vibraphonist Bryan Carrott is not featured on these tracks.

The young and very talented Danish drummer Kresten Osgood suggested this project to the Danish Stunt jazz label. ...

Ren: Action/Reaction

by Annika Westman
November 12, 2005

This second release from the new Swedish Lovestreet Records label gives us another portion of good Malmö-based acoustic jazz. But this band is not exactly local--the bandleader/composer is Chilean, pianist Loïc Dequidt is French, and drummer John Arnold is American. Only saxophonist Fredrik Kronkvist has his roots in southern Sweden. This quartet is deeply rooted in the mainstream tradition of that quartet with a capital Q headed by the capital JC himself, although this one features an alto player inspired ...

Simon Spang-Hanssen: Ear Witness

by Annika Westman
October 21, 2005

Ear Witness--whose members are from Denmark, Hungary, Mauritius, and Cameroon--is not exactly your average jazz quartet. To be a bit more precise, let's call this music what it is: funky fusion. Ear Witness is one of Danish saxophonist Simon Spang-Hanssen's many projects, and he wrote eight of its pieces (the ninth is a group composition). Each song has a catchy theme, which is one of Spang-Hanssen's trademarks. Sometimes they're almost too catchy for me, since they have a tendency to ...

Simon Spang-Hanssen Quartet: Noctiflore

by Annika Westman
October 20, 2005

After having listened through Noctiflore several times under various circumstances, I bathed my ears properly in it one afternoon. There is no other remedy as good as an ear bath! To sit or lie comfortably with your eyes closed and disperse your ears into music, at a reasonably loud volume, with nothing else happening except the musical movements. Remedy for what? Well, I'd say for just about anything. There's not much in this world that can't be cured by one ...

Etienne Mbapp: Misiya

by Annika Westman
October 16, 2005

Fairly unknown to big audiences, but at the same time one of the most talented African bass players, Etienne Mbappé has, since moving to Paris from his home country Cameroon in the '70s, played with musicians such as Joe Zawinul, Manu Dibango, Salif Keita, and his own fusion bands Chic and Ultramarine.

Misiya, his first solo album, definitely belongs in the same genre as Richard Bona's, soft well-arranged modern African music, where the vocals, using the soft Douala language, have ...

Bill Stewart Trio Live at the Copenhagen Jazzhouse

by Annika Westman
October 14, 2005

Bill Stewart Trio Copenhagen Jazzhouse September 22, 2005

At his trio's first gig on their second European tour, Bill Stewart opened the show by telling us how happy he was to be back at the Copenhagen Jazzhouse, “one of the best jazz clubs in the world." Not a bad compliment!

Organist Larry Goldings and pianist Kevin Hays have, just like Bill himself, been involved in many projects on the American jazz, fusion and funk scene. ...