Category Archives: Modern Jazz

A musical genre that has jazz, classical, rock, pop, and techno elements.

Bugge Wesseltoft – Movement Seventeen

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Bugge Wesseltoft – “Movement Seventeen” from the album “Trialogue”

Born Jens Christian Bugge Wesseltoft on 1 February 1964 in Porsgrunn, Norway.

Dan Berglund was born 5 May 1963 in Pilgrimstad, Sweden. He was a member of Esbjörn Svensson Trio until the tragic death of Esbjörn Svensson in 2008.

Henrik Schwarz was born on 31 May 1972 in Germany and is a music producer, composer and performer.

Trialogue

1) Interlude; 2) Valiant; 3) Headbanger Polka; 4) Movement Eleven; 5) Take A Quick Break; 6) Movement Seventeen; 7) This Is My Day; 8) Round Midnight

Bugge Wesseltoft - Trialogue

Personnel

Bugge Wesseltoft – Piano
Henrik Schwarz – Computer
Dab Berglund – Bass

Esbjörn Svensson Trio – Bound for the Beauty of the South

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Esbjörn Svensson Trio – “Bound for the Beauty of the South” from the album “Strange Place For Snow”

Esbjörn Svensson Trio (e.s.t.) formed in 1993 and consisted of Esbjörn Svensson on piano, Dan Berglund on double bass, and Magnus Öström on drums. Esbjörn was awarded Swedish Jazz Musician of the Year in 1995 and 1996 and Songwriter of the Year in 1998. “Winter in Venice” was awarded the Swedish Grammy in 1997.

“Strange Place For Snow” won the following awards – Jahrespreis der Deutschen Schallplattenkritik (from the German Phonoacademy), the German Jazz Award, Choc de l’année (Jazzman, France), the Victoire du Jazz – the French Grammy – as best international act and the Revelation of the Festival award, a special award from Midem. e.s.t. was awarded the Hans Koller prize as European Artist of the Year in December 2004.

Tragically Esbjörn died in a scuba diving accident in Stockholm in 2008 aged 44.

Strange Place For Snow

1) The Message; 2) Serenade For The Renegade; 3) Strange Place For Snow; 4) Behind The Yashmak; 5) Bound For The Beauty Of The South; 6) Years Of Yearning; 7) When God Created The Coffeebreak; 8) Spunky Sprawl; 9) Carcrash

Esbjörn Svensson Trio - Bound for the Beauty of the South

Personnel

Daniel Berglund – Double Bass
Magnus Öström – Percussion, Drums
Esbjörn Svensson – Keyboards, Piano

John Scofield – A Go Go

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John Scofield – “A Go Go” from the album “A Go Go”

He was born on 26 December 1951 in Dayton, Ohio, studied at Berklee College of Music and left to record with Chet Baker and Gerry Mulligan.
He spent two years with the Billy Cobham/George Duke Band, recorded with Charles Mingus in 1976 and then replaced Pat Metheny in Gary Burton’s Quartet. He joined Miles Davis in 1982 and appears on Star People, You’re Under Arrest and Decoy.
Here he is supported by the avant garde jazz groovesters Medeski, Martin and Wood.

John Scofield – A Go Go

1) A Go Go; 2) Chank; 3) Boozer; 4) Southern Pacific; 5) Jeep on 35; 6) Kubrick; 7) Green Tea; 8) Hottentot; 9) Chicken Dog; 10) Deadzy
John Scofield - A Go Go

John Scofield – electric & acoustic guitar, whistle
John Medeski – organ, wurlitzer, clavinet, piano
Chris Wood – acoustic & electric bass
Billy Martin – drums, tambourine

GoGo Penguin – Hopopono

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GoGo Penguin – “Hopopono” from the album “v2.0”

GoGo Penguin are a Manchester trio consisting of Chris Illingworth (piano), Nick Blacka (bass), and Rob Turner (drums).

influences include Aphex Twin,  Shostakovich and Massive Attack. v2.0 (their second album on Gondwana Records) has been named as one of the Barclaycard Mercury Prize Albums of the Year.

GoGo Penguin – v2.0

1) Murmuration; 2) Garden Dog Barbeque; 3) Kamaloka; 4) FortOne Percent; 5) Home; 6) The Letter; 7) To Drown in You; 8) Shock and Awe; 9) Hopopono

GoGo Penguin - v2.0

Phronesis – Life To Everything

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Phronesis – “Urban Control” from the album “Life to Everything” recorded live at Jazz in the Round, The Cockpit, London

Life To Everything

1. Urban Control (Anton Eger)
2. Phraternal (Ivo Neame)
3. Behind Bars (Jasper Høiby)
4. Song for Lost Nomads (Ivo Neame)
5. Wings 2 the Mind (Jasper Høiby)
6. Nine Lives (Jasper Høiby)
7. Deep Space Dance (Ivo Neame)
8. Herne Hill (Anton Eger)
9. Dr Black (Anton Eger)

Phronesis life to everything

Jasper Høiby – Double Bass

Ivo Neame – Piano

Anton Eger – Drums

I love that “open” sound live albums always seem to have. An absolute must-buy.

Anouar Brahem – The Astounding Eyes Of Rita

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Anouar Brahem – “The Astounding Eyes Of Rita”

As a Tunisian oud player and composer, Anouar is widely acclaimed as an innovator in his field. He performs primarily for a jazz audience, fusing Arab classical music, folk and jazz.

“The Astounding Eyes Of Rita”

Anouar Brahem – oud, Klaus Gesing – bass clarinet, Björn Meyer – bass, Khaled Yassine – darbouka, bendir

All compositions by Anour Brahem

Anouar

“The Lover of Beirut” – 7:44, “Dance with Waves” – 3:56, “Stopover at Djibouti” – 6:34, “The Astounding Eyes of Rita” – 8:41, “Al Birwa” – 4:51, “Galilee Mon Amour” – 7:17, “Waking State” – 7:48, “For No Apparent Reason” – 6:35

Writing for The Guardian reviewer John Fordham observed “In recent years, Brahem’s work has been more refined and reflective than groove-inclined, but this vivacious quartet set marks a return to the chemistry of Thimar, and it’s a richly varied and often thrilling piece of world-jazz”.

Writing for All About Jazz, John Kelman noted “After two discs of sparer chamber music, it’s great to hear Brahem back with a pulse; but with Meyer, Gesing, and Yassine as partners, he’s retained the elusive mystery of albums like Le Pas du Chat Noir (2002), making The Astounding Eyes of Rita his most aesthetically unified album to date”.

Ólafur Arnalds & Nils Frahm live improvisation

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Ólafur Arnalds & Nils Frahm live improvisation at Roter Salon

Ólafur Arnalds

Ólafur is a BAFTA winning multi-instrumentalist and producer from Mosfellsbær, Iceland. He mixes strings and piano with loops and edgy beats.

I’d recommend “For Now I am Winter”.

Nils Frahm

Nils Frahm improvisation
Nils is a German musician and composer based in Berlin. He has released both solo material and collaborations with performers including Anne Müller, Ólafur Arnalds and F.S. Blumm.

His live album “Spaces” is a must-have in my opinion.