Jazz at The Pawnshop

The second of four volumes that fully document a 1976 engagement at the Pawnshop Jazz Club in Stockholm, Sweden, this set differs from the others in that vibraphonist Lars Erstrand is not present. Arne Domnerus (on alto and clarinet) heads a quartet also featuring pianist Bengt Hallberg, bassist Georg Riedel and drummer Egil Johnasen. Other than an African folk song (a second version of "High Life,") and a Swedish folk song, the repertoire is dominated by swing standards; highlights include a lengthy "In a Mellow Tone," "Poor Butterfly" and "Things Ain't What They Used to Be."

This is the live document - a legendary engagement at the Pawnshop club in Stockholm, Sweden. Featured are Arne Domnerus (doubling on alto and clarinet), pianist Bengt Hallberg, vibraphonist Lars Erstrand, bassist Georg Riedel and drummer Egil Johansen. They mostly stick to swing standards, recalling the groups of Benny Goodman and Lionel Hampton.

The recordings that comprise Jazz At The Pawnshop, made by recording engineer Gert Palmcrantz in 1976, are widely regarded by audiophiles as the best jazz recordings of the 20th Century. Jazz At The Pawnshop 3 is the last in this series that revisits the legendary Stockholm sessions from musicians Arne Domnerus, Bengt Hallberg, Georg Riedel, Egil Johansen, and Lars Erstrand, presenting five previously unreleased tracks that highlight the unique relationship these jazz musicians have, their fervent improvisations bonding them to each other and to their audience.

This album embodies Volume 2 of the great event which was recorded in December 1976 over two nights at the intimate Pawnshop jazz club in Stockholm and considered one of the most famous audiophile recording in music. Both the musicianship and the engineering came together in a magical symbiosis captured on this enduring classic. Recording engineer Gert Palmcrantz used one pair of microphones spaced eight inches apart for the main pick-up, with a couple of microphones placed to register the “live” atmosphere and a few discrete support mikes, all recorded on a pair of two-track Nagra tape recorders in the restaurant kitchen!

This is the live document - a legendary engagement at the Pawnshop club in Stockholm, Sweden. Featured are Arne Domnérus (doubling on alto and clarinet), pianist Bengt Hallberg, vibraphonist Lars Erstrand, bassist Georg Riedel and drummer Egil Johansen.

"Jazz At The Pawnshop", recorded in 1976, has been regarded as "The Best Jazz Recording of the Century" and is known as one of the most famous audiophile records in music. These sessions recorded at club Stampen (Pawnshop) in Stockholm on December 6-7, 1976, by Gert Palmcrantz, have an extaordinary presence and a genuine live feeling.

A previously unreleased continuation of the highly successful Jazz At The Pawnshop recording.

Singer Eva Taylor (1985-1977) was a blues-jazz vocal star in the first half of the twentieth century, and one of the very first African-American voices to be heard on the radio. Taylor sang in bands led or directed by the protean Clarence Williams, songwriter, pianist, and producer (also her husband). Before they became stars, jazz icons Louis Armstrong and Sidney Bechet also performed on some of her recordings. While she officially retired in the 1940’s, Taylor would perform sporadically. LEGENDARY is a live set recorded in Sweden in 1976 with a group of traditionally oriented (i.e., New Orleans, hot jazz, and ‘20s pop styles) locals. Backed by a band immersed in the era from which she sprang, Taylor’s rough yet resolute performances are a joy-filled link to pre-WWII classic jazz history.

In April 1976, at the age of 74, the legendary swing saxophonist Benny Waters made a momentous appearance at the internationally famous jazz-blub Stampen often known as “The Pawnshop”, in Stockholm. This album is a memento of this concert and a wonderful musician. Worthy of note is the fact that the pianist on this recording is the late, great and unfortunately the most “underrecorded” Swedish swing piano player Björn Milder – yes, Joakim Milders father! – who was considered by many visiting musicians to be “world class”. And they should know!