ANDERS JORMIN - Poems For Orchestra
Losen: LOS219-2
Anders Jormin: double bass; Lena Willemark: vocals, violin; Karin Nakagagwa: koto
Bohuslan Big Band – Joakim Rolandson: alto saxophone, soprano saxophone, flute; Martin Svanstrom: alto saxophone, clarinet, flute; Ove Ingemarsson: tenor saxophone; Mikael Karlsson: tenor saxophone, flute, alto flute; Alberto Pinton: bass saxophone, flute, bass clarinet; Lennart Grahn, Samuel Olsson, Staffan Svensson, Jan Eliasson: trumpet, flugelhorn; Niclas Rydh, Christer Olofsson, Hanne Smavik: trombone; Ingrid Utne: bass trombone.
Recorded 14th November 2018 to 13th March 2019 by Lars Nilsson at Nilento Studio, Kallered, Sweden.
In 2015, Jormin, Willemark and Nakagawa released the stunning ‘Trees of Life’ album (on ECM). This created a landmark marriage of Nordic folk, jazz and Japanese koto playing. One wondered where this could go next. And their answer is to hugely expand the tone-palette with an orchestra, and to take inspiration from a collection of poems. What you get is the intimacy of the previous project played out on a larger canvas but without losing any of the integrity music.
This collection of tunes began as a commission for big band to work with voice and koto. While the big band orchestration here works beautifully, the placing of a koto in this setting really captures the attention. I would say that, against the orchestra (rather than the bass and violin of the earlier recording), Nakagawa brings even more intensity to her playing, while making the instrument so clearly part of the instrumentation of the orchestra that it fits seamlessly. Added to this, Willemark’s effortlessly smoky vocals deliver words from poems in Danish and Avldalska to such effect that you don’t (as a non-speaker of the languages) need to know what she is saying, only experience the emotion that she conveys. The lyrics range from poems by Willemark herself (tracks 1, 7 (with additional words from Jormin), 12) to Danish (Soren Ulrik Thomasen: tracks 3, 4) and Swedish (Per Lagerkvist: track 2, Tomas Transtome: track 9,) poets, interspersed with evocative tone poems composed by Jormin. Some marvellous soloing by muted trumpet and saxophones throughout the pieces only serve to create a real treat.
Reviewed by Chris Baber
Losen: LOS219-2
Anders Jormin: double bass; Lena Willemark: vocals, violin; Karin Nakagagwa: koto
Bohuslan Big Band – Joakim Rolandson: alto saxophone, soprano saxophone, flute; Martin Svanstrom: alto saxophone, clarinet, flute; Ove Ingemarsson: tenor saxophone; Mikael Karlsson: tenor saxophone, flute, alto flute; Alberto Pinton: bass saxophone, flute, bass clarinet; Lennart Grahn, Samuel Olsson, Staffan Svensson, Jan Eliasson: trumpet, flugelhorn; Niclas Rydh, Christer Olofsson, Hanne Smavik: trombone; Ingrid Utne: bass trombone.
Recorded 14th November 2018 to 13th March 2019 by Lars Nilsson at Nilento Studio, Kallered, Sweden.
In 2015, Jormin, Willemark and Nakagawa released the stunning ‘Trees of Life’ album (on ECM). This created a landmark marriage of Nordic folk, jazz and Japanese koto playing. One wondered where this could go next. And their answer is to hugely expand the tone-palette with an orchestra, and to take inspiration from a collection of poems. What you get is the intimacy of the previous project played out on a larger canvas but without losing any of the integrity music.
This collection of tunes began as a commission for big band to work with voice and koto. While the big band orchestration here works beautifully, the placing of a koto in this setting really captures the attention. I would say that, against the orchestra (rather than the bass and violin of the earlier recording), Nakagawa brings even more intensity to her playing, while making the instrument so clearly part of the instrumentation of the orchestra that it fits seamlessly. Added to this, Willemark’s effortlessly smoky vocals deliver words from poems in Danish and Avldalska to such effect that you don’t (as a non-speaker of the languages) need to know what she is saying, only experience the emotion that she conveys. The lyrics range from poems by Willemark herself (tracks 1, 7 (with additional words from Jormin), 12) to Danish (Soren Ulrik Thomasen: tracks 3, 4) and Swedish (Per Lagerkvist: track 2, Tomas Transtome: track 9,) poets, interspersed with evocative tone poems composed by Jormin. Some marvellous soloing by muted trumpet and saxophones throughout the pieces only serve to create a real treat.
Reviewed by Chris Baber
