H: Do You Remember?

The first thing you notice about Do You Remember?, the new disc by the Håkan Broström Quartet, is how exceedingly pleasant it is to listen to. Indeed, Brostrom's bright, inviting tone, used in service of hook after hook after hook, calls to mind Cannonball Adderley. Like Adderley, Broström is an alto saxophonist who knows how to grab and hold the listener's attention with music that is simultaneously pleasing and multifaceted. Casual listeners and jazz aficionados alike will find treasures on Do You Remember?

One of those treasures is pianist Anders Persson. Each time Persson takes a solo, his playing sparkles as he plays with an economy that is never stingy but that never leaves the listener awash in a sea of notes. Broström demonstrates similar restraint, blowing solos that invite the listener further inside the compositions, all of which are the leader's own.

The highlight of the disc is "Configuration," a number with an irresistible hook and opportunities for the entire quartet, including drummer Bengt Stark and bassist Palle Danielsson, to shine. The band is also in top form on "For the Lost Ones," a joyous romp that precedes "A Warm Hand," a pretty ballad marred only slightly by Broström’s spitty tone. The only false step on the entire album is Broström's shrieking soprano solo on "Whispers From Yesterday," which is out of keeping with the mellow groove of the song and the overall tone of the disc.

This is an exceptionally minor complaint, however, as Do You Remember? is truly a recording worth remembering.