Klas Jervfors Turner: Odonata

Considering its origins, Odonata could have easily been a much sadder piece of work than it is. It began as part of the grieving process for four potential children that Klas Jervfors Turner and his wife lost through a series of miscarriages. He pays them tribute here with four somber and mostly unaccompanied horn pieces—a somewhat unusual arrangement for a brass player who's thrived in a mad variety of different settings and lineups for decades.

Turner's musical personality is a bright one, however, and so that was only the start. The next step was to compose musical tributes to the other children he and Mrs. Turner have had (if not together). Several other sketches come drawn straight from life, from musical portraits of his wife and mother to a wedding song personally written for a couple close friends. His deep-rooted loves of Latin, reggae, funk and jazz-rock fusion insistently crept in as the ideas started flowing. A crew of players from all across the world stepped in to bring their smorgasbord of sonic flavors to suit the pieces. The overall whole is an epic work simply packed to overflowing with colors and feelings.

As with his kaleidoscopic leader debut Suburban Dreams (Krokodill, 2019), Turner's followup affair is a rich stew full of bouncy rhythms and tantalizing flavors. Reggae romps lead into to gypsy dances, turn left into juicy funk-fusion full of spiky organ and wah-wah, then give way to the quiet and thoughtful. Turner's own horns (trombone, trumpet and a plaintive variant called a cow horn) slather the tunes while the cast stomps and wails for all they're worth.

Even with the more mournful pieces making a well-placed mini-suite in the late stretch, the odes to life and love carry the day. The more vibrant parts of Odonata are just as meaningful as the sad spots, and blending it all together makes for a moving celebration of all life's countless shades. There's musical skill aplenty, but more importantly the heart couldn't be more real.

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