2014

Innehåller Evans första 12 album 1956 - 1962, från debutskivan med den ursprungliga versionen av hans "Waltz for Debby" - fram till hans nyskapande Empathy album 1962, Generellt anses detta i jazzkretsar som den period då Evans var som bäst.

Marcin Wasilewski Trio: Spark of life 2014 [CD]

'A Day In Nashville' is a welcome throwback of an album. Robben Ford's latest release stands out as a true old school project for a variety of reasons. The sly vocalist-guitarist recorded the entire album in just a day, which is the anomaly by today's recording standards. <br/>"It just doesn't happen today," Ford said. "Nine songs in one day, all new music. That normally takes some time. But I credit the musicians I worked with. I sent demos to them with me singing and playing on acoustic guitar. I sat down and thought if I can pull this off, wouldn't that be something." Ford pulled it off courtesy of the work he put in and due to an exceptional bunch of musicians. Guitarist Audley Freed (Black Crowes), keyboardist Ricky Peterson (David Sanborn), bassist Brian Allen (Jason Isbell), drummer Wes Little (Sting) and trombonist Barry Green (Tony Bennett) helped make 'A Day In Nashville' a reality. You can't pigeonhole 'A Day In Nashville' which is a blues/R&B hybrid, with a tinge of jazz tossed into the sonic potpourri for good measure.<br/><br/>'A Day In Nashville' is the perfect follow-up to 'Bringing It Back Home.' Although there is a similar sonic presence, this time out Ford, pens seven of the nine cuts. "I had the chance to write some new music and so I did it," Ford said. "I enjoy recording versions of other people's songs but I like to write music too." Ford nails it whether delivering a pair of instrumental tunes or the seven gems, which range from the compelling ('Midnight Comes Too Soon') to the humorous ('Ain't Drinkin' Beer No More'). The former, which includes a number of searing bluesy guitar licks and a film noirish story, is not set to a rhyme scheme. "It was a worthwhile exercise to break away from rhyming in songwriting," Ford said. "Rhyme does make a song more powerful but singing words that don't rhyme can work really well. The entire bridge doesn't rhyme at all. You can't put this song into a box."

Hiromi: Alive 2014 [CD]

Jacob Karlzon / piano, keys, synths & programming<br/>Hans Andersson / bass<br/>Robert Mehmet Ikiz / drums<br/><br/>Unmistakably now one of the best pianists in Europe, Jacob Karlzon's music and personality are possessed of a radiance and vitality that has won audiences worldwide.<br/><br/>But Karlzon wants more - in terms of sound, composition and concept - and doesn't really care much for categories and genre-labeling. Instead, Karlzon chooses to draw tastefully and fervently from the best of two worlds - the openness, curiosity and energy of jazz, and the power, catchiness and the production techniques of pop.<br/><br/>.

Xylofonorkestern: Stora blå 2014 [Digipack / CD]

Spjärnsvallet var en mycket betydelsefull instrumentalgrupp i mitten av 70-talet. Den blev en brytpunkt bland annat för de tidiga världsmusikinfluenserna (såväl Berger som Bothén hade spelat mycket med Don Cherry och både undervisat Don och lärt av honom efter sina långa musikstudier i Indien, Marocko, Ghana och Mali. Christer Bothéns personliga etniskt färgade kompositioner framstår som höjdpunkter från den tiden och ter sig efter närmare 40 år, i likhet med gruppens förhållande till låtar och improvisation som vore de nyutsprungna. Ännu ett tillfälle att höra bortgångna multiinstrumentalistgeniet Kjell Westling är ytterligare ett skäl till att återutge denna sedan länge utgångna pärla, i synnerhet som cd-formatet gör att delar av inspelningarna som inte rymdes inom LP-formatet nu kan finnas med i sin helhet.