In the wake of the Ystad Jazz Festival in Sweden, the distinguished Swedish jazz journalist Jan Olsson sent a  photograph of the late saxophonist and clarinetist Bob Wilber and his wife, British singer Pug Horton, at the Stockamöllan Swing Fesival in June 2013. Wilber (1928-2019) died earlier this month. Jan took the photo at an earler Swedish jazz festival.
Jan writes, “The photo of Mr and Mrs Wilber was taken at the Stockamöllan Swing Fesival in June, 2013. Stockamöllan is a small village in SkÃ¥ne – not very far from Ystad – and was multi-intrumentalist Gunhild Carling´s home until she moved to California last year. She was also that festival’s arranger.” Â
Veteran Ystad festivalgoers may recall that Gunhild Carling was something of a sensation at Ystad a few years ago. Here is a portion of the 2014 Rifftides wrapup report.
In an Ystad park, Gunhild Carling led a big band composed primarily of her family members. She sang, shimmied,
strutted and played trumpet, trombone, flute and bagpipes. Between numbers she delivered a nonstop stream of Swedish patter. Although her breathless pacing and fervor sometimes bordered on the absurd, Ms. Carling’s instrumental solos were substantial improvisations. On bagpipes, she played a blues solo notable for content, pacing and phrasing. In a piece of shtick straight out of 1920s vaudeville, she did the splits as she executed a downward trombone glissando, but her plunger mute solo on the next number was an accurate impression of Duke Ellington’s great trombonist Tricky Sam Nanton. Several members of the band played solos that reflected the swing era and edged on bebop. The Carling Big Band delivers credible jazz in the context of easily digestible comic entertainment.
(Carling photo by Markus Fägersten)