Jazz Articles about Skogen

About Skogen

Album Review

Skogen: Despairs Had Governed Me Too Long

Read "Despairs Had Governed Me Too Long" reviewed by John Eyles

by John Eyles
April 10, 2014

With their previous two Another Timbre releases, Ist Gefallen In Den Schnee (2012) and Rows (2013), Magnus Granberg's large international ensemble Skogen established themselves as purveyors of exquisitely-played spacious music, that transcends the composition-improvisation border and makes beguilingly beautiful listening. On the 2012 album, a nine-member version of the group played a one-hour-plus rendition of Granberg's title piece. On Rows, an eight-member version--substituting Ko Ishikawa on sho for Leo Svensson Sander on cello and John Eriksson on vibraphone--played nine shorter ...

Album Review

Skogen: Ist gefallen in den Schnee

Read "Ist gefallen in den Schnee" reviewed by John Eyles

by John Eyles
April 3, 2012

Ist gefallen in den Schnee, lasting sixty-one minutes, consists entirely of a November 2010 recording of the title composition by Magnus Granberg. For the recording Granberg's group Skogen--in which he plays piano--is expanded to a nonet including two non-Swedish guest musicians, Angarad Davies on violin and Toshimaru Nakamura on his instrument of choice, the no-input mixing board. Strings, vibraphone, percussion, bowls and glasses plus electronics complete the group's line-up, giving it a soundscape that extends way beyond that of a ...