Bjorn Ingelstam: Bjorn Ingelstam

Take a close look at the cover of Swedish trumpeter Björn Ingelstam's self-titled debut album and you will notice a pair of glasses in the top right corner. This a not coincidence because the man behind the record, Brian Rindom Larsen, is an optician and runs the shop Fiol Optik where the music was also recorded.

Rindom Larsen is truly a connoisseur who knows what he wants and he has divided the releases on his newly started Fiol Sessions label into two series: the debut series, with young and talented jazz musicians, and the master series, with veterans of the jazz scene. The record with young Ingelstam is the very first release on his label and a promising start.

Ingelstam is in the company of his quartet with bassist Matthias Petri, drummer Andreas Svendsen and Calle Brickman on Fender Rhodes. Together they make pleasant and infectiously swinging music with tuneful themes. The four compositions on the album are all winners and exhibit Ingelstam's bright, burnished tone and his love of the jazz tradition, ranging from Louis Armstrong to Chet Baker.

The record has a live side and a studio side and each side begins with an energetic composition followed by a more mellow tune. These guys certainly know how to have fun, but they can also slow things down.

Engineer Thomas Vang has recorded the album and the sound is superb, up close and personal. This is a charming high quality 10" vinyl release. A download code is also included, which gives access to the complete live session.

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