Marína Ósk: One Evening in July

Who knew back in the early days of jazz that the songs written back then would later become standards and inspire people in the "far far away" 2022? Marína Ósk, a promising emerging musician from Reykjavík, Iceland, has found her composer's voice in writing lyrical jazz pieces which sound like some songs of the "Great American Songbook."

One can sense that Ósk's album One Evening in July (TengTones, 2022) was deeply influenced by recordings of Ella Fitzgerald and Chet Baker. More importantly, she and her band members bring their individuality, without just imitating other performers. Joining Ósk on the album are Icelandic guitarist Mikael Máni Ásmundsson, and brothers from Sweden Erik Tengholm on trumpet and Johan Tengholm on bass.

To the surprise of listeners who got used to hearing jazz in English and maybe in Portuguese, several songs on the album are in Icelandic. The soothing vocal lines of the opening piece "Samtal við sólu" [A conversation with the sun], remind some listeners of Antonio Carlos Jobim's standards. A special treat for ears are the trumpet improvisations in "Samtal við sólu," "Hey Love," "The Moon and the Sky," "Við tjörnina" [By the pond] and "In the Wee Small Hours of the Morning," as well as guitar solos in "Samtal við sólu," "Einsemd" [Loneliness] and "Happy Little Sunshine Beam." A tasteful vocal scat appears in "Hey Love."

One Evening in July offers a variety of genres, bossa nova, blues, medium-tempo swing and ballad. No overdubs and limited editing in the recording process create the feeling of a good old-school album. This is an album which lovers of evergreen standards might appreciate, enjoy and add to their playlists.