CECILIE STRANGE - Blikan
April Records: APR085CD
Cecilie Strange: saxophone; Peter Rosendal: piano; Jakob Høyer: drums; Thommy Andersson: bass
Recorded 10th and 11th June 2019 by Thomas Vang at The Village Recording
Immediately on first hearing, it became apparent that this is a perfect jazz album. The compositions feel timeless but completely unfamiliar, the band are playing in such intimate unity that there is no space which feels unexplored within each tune. That this is only the groups second release comes as a surprise. An even bigger surprise is that this set was recorded when the group met for the first time.
Danish saxophonist Strange plays beautiful, vibrato-rich tenor saxophone that immerses the listener through her compositions. She blends folk melodies with jazz sensibilities in ways which feel deeply personal and original. Rosendal has been exploring the potentials offered by mixing folk and jazz, so is an ideal foil for Strange’s playing. Each piece has an immediacy and, as in the case, of ‘When Sunny Smiles’, track 4, Strange and Rosendal seem to anticipate the lines that each develops. Against her smoky saxophone, he plays liquid piano lines; with rustling drums and lowing bass, the pieces conjure images of sunrise over mountains and lakes.
‘Jag vet en dejlig (I know a lovely rose)’, track 6, is a 15th Century Swedish folk song played as sax, bass, drums trio. On this, Høyer rings melodies from his drum solo and Strange’s delicately prolonged notes convey a feeling that mixes longing with melancholy. Strange first played this tune in public when she was 19, after her father had died, dedicating the song to her mother to thank her for being so loving and supportive. As this implies, the tunes carry deep meaning and are not all pastoral and peaceful. One of the more haunting pieces, ‘The Clearing’, track 2, is an elegy to the 77 victims of the terror attack on Utøya when a lone gunman stalked the island shooting people, mostly children, at random.
The album’s title is an Icelandic word that can translate as ‘to appear or to shine’. For me this set is a revelation that does both of these. A previous recording, ‘Blue’ was released to enthusiastic reviews last year and this is a stunning companion piece. Easily one of the best albums of this year and one that I am looking forward to enjoying many repeated listens.
Reviewed by Chris Baber
April Records: APR085CD
Cecilie Strange: saxophone; Peter Rosendal: piano; Jakob Høyer: drums; Thommy Andersson: bass
Recorded 10th and 11th June 2019 by Thomas Vang at The Village Recording
Immediately on first hearing, it became apparent that this is a perfect jazz album. The compositions feel timeless but completely unfamiliar, the band are playing in such intimate unity that there is no space which feels unexplored within each tune. That this is only the groups second release comes as a surprise. An even bigger surprise is that this set was recorded when the group met for the first time.
Danish saxophonist Strange plays beautiful, vibrato-rich tenor saxophone that immerses the listener through her compositions. She blends folk melodies with jazz sensibilities in ways which feel deeply personal and original. Rosendal has been exploring the potentials offered by mixing folk and jazz, so is an ideal foil for Strange’s playing. Each piece has an immediacy and, as in the case, of ‘When Sunny Smiles’, track 4, Strange and Rosendal seem to anticipate the lines that each develops. Against her smoky saxophone, he plays liquid piano lines; with rustling drums and lowing bass, the pieces conjure images of sunrise over mountains and lakes.
‘Jag vet en dejlig (I know a lovely rose)’, track 6, is a 15th Century Swedish folk song played as sax, bass, drums trio. On this, Høyer rings melodies from his drum solo and Strange’s delicately prolonged notes convey a feeling that mixes longing with melancholy. Strange first played this tune in public when she was 19, after her father had died, dedicating the song to her mother to thank her for being so loving and supportive. As this implies, the tunes carry deep meaning and are not all pastoral and peaceful. One of the more haunting pieces, ‘The Clearing’, track 2, is an elegy to the 77 victims of the terror attack on Utøya when a lone gunman stalked the island shooting people, mostly children, at random.
The album’s title is an Icelandic word that can translate as ‘to appear or to shine’. For me this set is a revelation that does both of these. A previous recording, ‘Blue’ was released to enthusiastic reviews last year and this is a stunning companion piece. Easily one of the best albums of this year and one that I am looking forward to enjoying many repeated listens.
Reviewed by Chris Baber
