Noren & Crossley

Polish trumpeter Tomasz Stanko has forged a distinguished international career, through work with Krystof Komeda, Cecil Taylor, Jack DeJohnette and David Murray and as a celebrated solo artist. His obliquely beautiful tone encapsulates a spacious approach to everything from folk to free jazz, best heard on his many fine albums for prestigious German label ECM. Here he presents his new Scandinavian Quintet that adds Anders Christensen on electric bass and Jakob Bro on guitar - joining Alexi Tuomarila on piano and Olavi Louhivouri on drums - to create a tougher, edgier sound palette for Stanko to explore. Performing darkly cinematic music from Swedish playwright Lars Noren's play Terminal 7, alongside other mysterious and evocative new music, this marks a new creative chapter for one of Europe's most compelling jazz artists.

"Sweden posesses incredible gems in Lars Jansson and the Bohuslan Big Band. The Bohuslan Big Band is a true ensemble, playing in a way that is rare these days as more and more large ensembles fall by the wayside. Thank godness this wonderful group has managed to survive. They've done well to choose Lars Jansson to compose this project. His playing and writhing exude beauty - inviting you in with melody, line, warmth and power. It is performed here in such a lovely way - with a perfect blend from these marvelous musicians whose long experience in playing with one another allows the spirit of the music to float freely to our ears." ~ Maria Schneider

The classic style cover art of Swedish trio Stuck in Motion‘s self-titled debut tells much of the story. It’s sweet-toned vintage-style soul rock, informed by Graveyard to some degree, but more aligned to retroism. The songs are bluesy and natural and not especially long, but have vibe for weeks, as demonstrated on the six-minute longest-track “Dreams of Flying,” or the flute-laden closer “Eken.” What the picture doesn’t tell you is the heavy use of clavinet in the band’s sound and just how much the vintage electric piano adds to what songs like “Slingrar” with its ultra-fluid shifts in tempo, or the sax-drenched penultimate cut “Orientalisk”…