Demanding to be heard, now and then one of the LPs in the surviving Rifftides collection of vinyl records sends vibes—appropriately in this case. The album called Sunstroke appeared in 1979 on the Muse label with Charlie Shoemake on vibraharp in his first album as a leader. His stellar rhythm section had Kenny Barron on piano, Cecil McBee on bass and Al Foster playing drums, with David Schnitter on tenor saxophone. For the occasion, Shoemake wrote a piece commemorating how jazz transformed as the music moved from swing to bebop. He called it “42nd Street Changes.†In the sense of “changes†as harmonic progressions, the tune provided challenges to the musicians and—to the rest of us—exhilarating listening.
It is odd, in the case of so stimulating an album, that Sunstroke has never been reissued as a CD or in any other digital form.
because of his close relationship with the late singer and actress Monica Zetterlund, who was honored at the festival. Carlsson was 80.
The most recent visit to Sweden stays with me more than three weeks after my return. In great part, that is because music I heard at the Ystad Sweden Jazz Festival refuses to leave my head. A piece played in Ystad by more than one group hangs on persistently and delightfully. It is “De Sålde Sina Hemman,†also known in Sweden as “Imigrantvisa.†It is a traditional song associated with Swedish people who joined the migration to The United States from the late 19th century into the 1920s—well more than a million of them. Here we see a section of The Emigrants by the popular artist S. V. Helander (1839–1901) showing a young farmer bidding a sober farewell to friends and relatives.
Clark Terry and Bob Brookmeyer co-led one of the great small bands of the last half of the twentieth century. In the group Terry (1920-2015) concentrated on the flugelhorn, which he played—as he did the trumpet—with fluency, feeling, technique and humor that make him to this day a model and inspiration for brass players. Brookmeyer (1929-2011) had equal
eminence as a valve trombonist, beginning as he rose to prominence in the early 1950s with Woody Herman, Stan Getz, Gerry Mulligan and Jimmy Giuffre, among others.
John Abercrombie, a guitarist of stylistic flexibility and uncompromising musical vision, died today in a hospital in New York’s Hudson River Valley. He was 72. Abercrombie suffered a stroke early this year and succumbed to heart failure. For an extensive obituary that incorporates videos and a lengthy transcribed interview, see Peter Hum’s article in the <em>
Bea Wain, who achieved popularity in the late 1930s when she sang with Larry Clinton’s band, died today in Los Angeles. She was 100. Wain had a succession of hit records that began when she recorded a swing adaptation of Debussy’s “Reverie.†As “My Reverie,†it became a best-seller. For more, 
There are several jazz pieces called “Eclipse.†Tenor saxophonist Gato Barbieri, the Japanese group called Kyoto Jazz Massive, and the Mexican singer Bere Contreras, among others, have performed or recorded compositions with that name.
needed—surfaced this summer in Prague when visiting American trumpeters Marcus Printup and Greg Gisbert sat in with pianist Emil Viklický (pictured) and his quartet of fellow Czechs. Printup and Gisbert were on tour with Wynton Marsalis and the Lincoln Center Jazz Orchestra. They combined with Viklický, trumpeter Miroslav Hloucal, bassist Petr Dvorsky and drummer Jirka Stivin, Jr. We have two pieces from their impromptu encounter at Prague’s Reduta jazz club. The first in what Viklický calls a “trumpet summit†is Herbie Hancock’s “Dolphin Dance.â€
in pieces that drew in equal measure on late bebop and on free jazz of the Ornette Coleman school. Holmström blended with trumpeter Magnus Broo, at times incisively, at others floating and abstract. “The Wizard,†dedicated to the late arranger/composer Gil Evans, had a nifty line played at first in unison, then harmonized by Holmström and Broo. Holmström’s “West African Dance†rode on Kresten Osgood’s sui generis drum pattern supporting a Broo solo that nailed the essence of West African music. Jonas Kulhammar’s baritone saxophone solo departed from that equatorial feeling to explode in a wild, free conclusion. Mathias Landau was the pianist, Mattias Svensson the bassist. Kept busy at this festival, they are in the top rank of Swedish jazz artists and played with their usual excellence.
and considerable interaction among them. The band included instruments rarely used in jazz—tabla, harp and accordion. The blues inflections and bent notes in Johänntgen’s soprano and alto sax solos created atmospheres of their own. Belgian accordionist Anne Niepold’s face showed strain in the act of creation that was not reflected in her clever, relaxed solos. Exotic in a turban and flowing gown, Swiss harpist Julie Campiche employed a good deal of amplified twang and fuzz in her solos. With the percussive flow of her drumming, the Nepalese tabla player Shresta Sanskriti filled nearly every moment with her energy. Carlotta Andersson gave her composition “Malmö†dramatic drone guitar effects. Bassist Lisa Wulff of Germany dedicated her composition “Lund†to her bass teacher, who she said was in the audience. The drummer was Great Britain’s Sophie Alloway. Remarkably, the musicians Johänntgen assembled in Ystad got together for the first time the day before the performance. It is noteworthy that with so little rehearsal time, they achieved considerable cohesion.
ten others were by Lundgren. They included the quartet version of his emotional “The Poet,†which he had played the night before as a duet with trombonist Nils Landgren. Finnish alto saxophonist Jukka Perko’s affinity for Paul Desmond was apparent throughout, nowhere more than in his long lines and the tonal purity of his high notes in the ballad “Never Too Late.†Further along in the program, Perko had moments of vigor more in common with other contemporary alto players like Miguel Zenón and Steve Coleman. Danish drummer Morten Lund frequently used brushes to interact with Dan Berglund’s forceful bass lines, the rhythm partners buoying Lundgren’s forward motion, which was already propulsive. “Twelve Tone Rag†was a vehicle for Lundgren’s and Perko’s virtuosity at a speedy tempo. For all of its delicacy, this quartet made powerful music. Creativity generates power.
 supplement her performance. If that description makes her seem off-putting, she is not. There’s enough wry spoofing in what she does to make her charming and enough musicianship to justify her work with a first-class band. The photos of her with the orchestra indicate the nature of her personality. Ms. Reader’s program included a number of songs based in the poetry of Robert 
Burns, including “A Fond Kiss. â€In her Ystad concert, she had the estimable support of the Scottish National Jazz Orchestra led by tenor saxophonist Tommy Smith. He is one of several soloists in the band who played impressively in the ensemble and in solo. Among the others were pianist Steve Hamilton and alto saxophonist Martin Kershaw. Smith is the saxophonist on your left in the larger picture. He had a superb solo on, among other pieces, “The Glen of Tranquility.â€
opened with “A.M. Time,†a tune named for Mogensen. His drumming established a demanding pace and a spirit that carried through the afternoon. In Hagans’ “Things Happen In A Convertible†(he tends toward titles with obscure meanings), Åman’s bass solo elicited from Bergonzi that ultimate jazz expression of approval, “Yeah.†Long solos followed, by the horns and Winther. Hagans introduced “Dream Child,†a song by the pianist’s late father Jens Winther, revered in Scandinavian jazz circles for his trumpet playing, arranging and bandleading. Bergonzi brought great intensity to his solo. In his choruses, Hagans worked in a couple of quotes from the Freddie Hubbard phrase book. In “Laura,†Bergonzi found the essence of that perfect David Raksin ballad from 1945. Hagans’ improvisation included reminders of the tune’s melody, a service too few soloists perform for their listeners. Finally, the quintet played Hagans’ “That’s What Happens When You Leave The Door Open,†with solos by all hands at a tempo so fast that it may have left the audience breathless —before they broke into an ovation.
intended as commentary on Dahl’s strumming. Out of the piano’s insides and seated at the keyboard, Dahl indulged in fragmentation in the manner of Cecil Taylor. Zeuthen responded by emulating the Ornette Coleman school. Addressing the audience, Dahl described Zeuthen as “a pioneer of free
jazz.†Moving on, Dahl played a short solo whose intensity and intriguing harmonies seemed more likely to have been inspired by Franz Liszt than by Taylor. Then, at considerable length, Zeuthen played free jazz with a full tone—including vibrato—that was reminiscent of the French classical saxophonist Marcel Mule. Throughout, bassist Niels Davidsen and drummer Stefan Pasborg energized the proceedings with rhythmic churn that they constantly adjusted to one another and to Dahl’s and Zeuthen’s permutations. In a piano solo that he managed to make both controlled and free, Dahl disclosed familiarity with the roots of jazz, quoting Lester Young’s “Jumpin’ With Symphony Sid.†He gave his listeners an hour and a half of uncompromising music leavened with episodes of lightheartedness.
Essiet Okon Essiet and drummer Newman Taylor Baker (To the left we see Baker with her). When she scatted, her smooth delivery, accurate intonation and assured time feeling were assets. Scatting in “What Is This Thing Called Love,†she was particularly evocative of Fitzgerald. She vocalized beautifully over the richness of the strings in “How Deep Is The Ocean.â€
In large print Inside the bell of Landgren’s horn was emblazoned the name of its manufacturer; not a subtle touch, but perhaps effective if there were prospective trombone buyers in the audience. In his veiled voice, Landgren sang “This Masquerade,†and followed with two traditional songs, Swedish in feeling, very restrained. A fast piece whose Swedish name eluded me concluded with one of Landgren’s trademarks, a big trombone whoop leaving no doubt that the song was over. Landgren began to sing “The Nearness of You,†had a memory lapse and asked the audience to come to his rescue. They supplied the lyric and he started over. “I don’t know what happened,†he said. “I’ve sung that hundreds of times.†Take two was fine.
with rollicking enthusiasm. Loud demand for an encore led Lundgren and Landgren to a slow version of the perennially popular “Ack Värmeland, du sköna”/”Värmlandsvisan,” a classic of the Swedish folk tradition known in much of the world as “Dear Old Stockholm.†It didn’t stay slow for long. As the pace picked up, Lundgren began initiating random key changes and finally threw one that Landgren could not negotiate. He had to concede that he had lost the chromatic competition and bowed out playing a series of deep trombone split tones. That amused Lundgren, Landgren and the audience and brought the concert to a hilarious close marked by wild applause and cheers.
influenced equally by Cannonball Adderley and Phil Woods. He and Fischer opened with Adderley’s “Wabash,†then burned through several choruses of Sonny Rollins’ “Airegin,†a classic from Rollins’ tenure with Miles Davis in the 1950s. It must be tempting for a saxophonist with Sato’s technique to fully use it . He may have loaded at least one virtuosic run too many into his choruses on Johnny Mandel’s “Emily,†but apart from that it was a superb solo, as was the following one by Danish pianist Zier Romme Larson. The Fischer-Sato group took the 1920 Al Jolson hit “Avalon” fast, Charlie Parker’s “Confirmation” faster than fast. The speedier tempos had the unexpected effect of encouraging Sato, pianist Larson and Fischer to introduce more space into their solos, a welcome development.
The veteran drummer Al Foster opened his quintet’s concert at the Ystad Theatre with Charlie Parker’s “Klactoveedsedstene,†establishing with the “Lady Be Good†contrafact Foster’s and the band’s bebop leanings. Foster confirmed the orientation by following with Parker’s “My Little Suede Shoes,†which featured whimsy and surprise in a solo by pianist Adam Birnbaum, solid mastery of the idiom in bassist David Weiss’s solo, and masterly drum breaks by Foster. The set’s highlight was a solo by alto saxophonist Mike DiRubbo on “Lover Man,†a ballad Parker struggled with in a troubled period of his heroin addiction. Parker’s flawed recording of it has, nonetheless, long been a favorite of saxophonists. In his impassioned solo on the piece, DiRubbo achieved originality while reflecting Parker’s continued influence 71 years after the . Trumpeter Freddie Hendrix followed with a solo that matched the excellence of DiRubbo’s. It was a good night for them and for the Foster band in general.
reflected little direct influence by Parker but considerable ingenuity in a band that included the Finnish cellist Anni Elif Ececioglu. The cello added warmth and fullness to the ensemble. As she has in the Fanny Gunarsson Quartet and Sisters of Invention, Almgren confirmed that she is one of the most interesting Scandinavian musicians of her generation. Two drummer-percussionists interacted with Almgren, bassist Isa Savbrant and Ececioglu’s cello. The drummers were Algren’s mother Martina and her sister Malin. The resulting music had textures, swirl and movement that supported Almgren’s explorations. Bassist Savbrant provided the harmonic floor and  rounded out an intriguing all-female group.
A concert by HÃ¥kan Broström’s New Places Orchestra featuring Ebbot Lundberg turned out to be an Ebbot Lundberg concert only marginally featuring Broström’s inspired saxophone playing. For years, Lundberg led a pop-rock band called The Soundtrack of Our Lives. At Ystad, he aggressively delivered one number after another. The well-crafted arrangements occasionally opened to make room for solos by Broström, guitarist Johan Lindström, trombonist Karin Hammar and other band members. Broström was moving in his soprano sax solo on a piece called “Drowning in a Wishing Well.” However, the afternoon was clearly meant to be Lundberg’s.  He filled it to overflowing with his big, deep voice and outsized personality
opportunity to hear members of the new generation of musicians springing up on the continent. The young flugelhornist Oskar Stenmark and his colleagues are among them. Rained out of their intended outdoor performance space, they and their audience took refuge in Scala, the venerable downtown Ystad cinema. Stenmark, pianist Robin Skarin and bassist Linus Fredin specialize in—according to the festival program —…â€Sweden’s rich folk tradition.â€â€” After three years in New York City, Stenmark said that he’s back in Sweden to “keep contacts.†He is staying close to, among others, his large extended family in Dalarna in the mountains north of Stockholm, near the Norwegian border. He and his father are so close that the senior Stenmark, seen here on the right, sat in as a hand drummer on two tunes.
into a tight mute, Medina shined brightly in Tom Kubis’s up-tempo arrangement of “There Is No Greater Love.â€
The 2017 Ystad Sweden Jazz Festival launched with a tribute to Monica Zetterlund (1937-2005). The singer’s legacy in her homeland seems to steadily expand, and the attendance reflected her continued presence in Sweden’s cultural life. The concert, “Monica Z—Forever and Ever,†attracted 1,500 listeners to the Ystad Arena. Recently opened, the imposing athletic and cultural center was funded by the taxpayers of this town of 29,000, which has a medieval history and a modern community spirit. We see the arena here in one of its more customary functions.
of jazz artists influenced by Zetterlund. They were accompanied by a big band led by Carl Bagge, whose late father Lasse worked frequently with Zetterlund as her pianist. Jan Lundgren (pictured), the Ystad festival’s artistic director who helped found this festival, also appeared on piano.
tonality, personality and musicianship rare in singers of any age. His performance of the song surrounded an alto saxophone solo by Hâkan Broström, who reinforced my impression from previous visits to Sweden that his lyricism, passion and inventiveness make him one of the most interesting alto players alive.
Tommy Körberg, another singer of a certain age who is enormously popular in Sweden, brought to the stage expansiveness and enthusiasm that in some songs had an esthetic more appropriate to a Las Vegas lounge than a jazz concert. Nonetheless, in Leonard Bernstein’s “Some Other Time†he created intimacy that was matched by Carl Bagge’s piano solo. Körberg’s final numbers of the evening were Bill Haley’s “Rock Around The Clock,†presented with rock-era vigor, and “Here’s To Life,†the Artie Butler-Phyllis Mornay song given prominence by Shirley Horn. Carl Bagge’s arrangement incorporated the five members of the woodwind section playing flutes en masse. It was a resplendent effect.
of intonation that showed significant artistic growth in the years since I first heard her in Ystad. The Swedish harmonicist Filip Jers joined Ms. Svensson for a romp through Toots Thielemans’ “Bluesette.†With his customary sensitivity of keyboard touch and stimulating uses of chords Jan Lundgren gave solo piano versions of “Walking My Baby Back Home,†from the Nat Cole songbook, and a respectful treatment Bobby Timmons’s modern jazz classic “Dat Dere.†Ms. Svensson.
Monica Zetterlund. Carlsson was introduced as having been her husband, although there seems to be no documentary evidence to support that. Promising to be brief, he amused the audience by producing from his jacket a roll of paper. He made it seem that he intended to use it as notes for a speech. The notes turned out to be a scroll that was all but endless. It “accidentally†unrolled down to his shoe tops. He was not brief. He frequently reduced the audience to uproarious laughter with anecdotes and nonsense delivered with skilled timing that kept the crowd laughing.
by blogger, Rifftides reader and tune-detective-first-class Tarik Townsend. Mr. Townsend (pictured) writes that he has found a recording of one of the most elusive quotes that Paul Desmond ever worked into a solo. As evidence, his story incorporates three videos, one of which has the quote itself. It’s a valuable and entertaining discovery. I congratulate Mr. Townsend for his diligent pursuit of a piece of Desmond ephemera that might have remained obscure but for the Townsend determination. To read his report and hear the music, 
In the Townsend piece, you heard Dave Brubeck voicing his enthusiasm for his partner’s wit. The appreciation the two had for one another’s work was frequently on display. They did not hold back their admiration for humor and harmonic resourcefulness. When the enthusiasm surfaced it was one of the factors that drew audiences in and helped make them—as Brubeck put it—the fifth member of the quartet.