Jazz Articles

Per Sjodin: Gentle Thoughts

by Jerry D'Souza
May 27, 2006

Swedish guitarist Per Sjödin slips into mainstream jazz with measured grace and a pocketful of soul. His regular band is a trio with Danish organist Kjeld Lauritsen, whom he met on a gig, and Swedish drummer Zoltan Csörsz, Jr. On this debut recording, Sjödin has astutely added Mårten Lundgren (trumpet) and Magnus Lindgren (tenor) on four of the tracks to extend the impact of the compositions. Sjödin's writing strongly asserts melody, and his playing is juicy and ripe, nourished by ...

Offshore Quintet: Stampede

by Jerry D'Souza
May 2, 2006

Drummer Per-Arne Tollbom says that this CD was recorded on a single day on which the band was burning hot, and that's why it was called Stampede. He also goes on to reveal that there were no overdubs, just pure energy.

Melody presages adventure on Stampede. Once the former has made its presence felt, the players take off, exploding an array of ideas that rivet attention. They can fly into the stratosphere of free jazz or lay out ...

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 ...