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Anders Persson: Lonely Fungus
ByMind you, that is an entirely subjective response, as there is nothing censorious that one can say about Persson, Danielsson or Sundby, each of whom is an outstanding player in his own right. Perhaps some of my indifference has to do with the choice of music, as half a dozen of the album's nine songs are originalsfour by Persson, two by Sundbyand none of them is, in my opinion, better than a notch above ordinary. Rounding out the session are Billy Strayhorn's poignant "Lush Life," Sammy Cahn/Jimmy van Heusen's "The Second Time Around," and a traditional Swedish folk melody, "Beneath the Firmament of the Sky," arranged by Persson. Persson plays marvelously on "The Second Time Around," whereas I found his singular interpretation of "Lush Life" interesting but on the whole less persuasive.
Among the originals, Persson's sunny Latin charmer "Choro Para 'El Bife'" is clearly the top dog, while Sundby's "De Odievar" sounds much like one of Vince Guaraldi's upbeat compositions for the Charlie Brown TV specials. Persson unveils a passionate side on "Firmament," laying bare its dark and moody temperament in a series of sepulchral chords and phrases that close the album on a grave but impressive note.
Make no mistake, this is a superlative trio, but the competition is formidable, and without name recognition or a readily identifiable "voice" it is unlikely to gain much headway outside Sweden and other parts of Scandinavia.
Track Listing
Lonely Fungus; Lush Life; Torrent; The Second Time Around; De Odievaar; Mamelodi; Choro Para "El Bife"; Chez Paul; Beneath the Firmament of the Sky (51:43.
Personnel
Anders Persson
pianoAnders Persson, piano; Palle Danielsson, bass; Terje Sundby, drums.
Album information
Title: Lonely Fungus | Year Released: 2004 | Record Label: Touch
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Mark Dresser