FILIP JERS QUARTET - Plays Swedish Folk
Schmalensee Produktion SPCD006 2015
Philip Jers: harmonica; Henrik Hallberg: guitar; Johan Lindbom: bass; Willie Alin: drums
The Filip Jers Quartet was awarded "Best Group" at the European Jazz Competition in 2014, providing a contemporary take on the music of Toots Thielemans on their debut album in 2013, and in this follow-up, they have expanded their repertoire of Swedish Folk tunes to fill 13 tracks.
The harmonica is an instrument which seems to lend itself to either a crystal clear, straight-ahead rendition of a song or a wheezing accompaniment to other instruments. On this album, Jers plays a variety of harmonicas (chromatic, diatonic and bass harmonicas are listed against his name in the credits). This mix of types of instrument produces a wide range of sounds. Jers demonstrates virtuosity on all types and a pleasing sense of melody across the different pieces that he plays. It would be interesting to know how far the instrument would lend itself to freer playing and improvisation, but this is not an album which seeks extremes of expression. Rather, it is a collection of musicians who are clearly comfortable working together and playing a set of folk songs in a jazz idiom, respectfully treating these songs as Standards and weaving a tapestry of sound around them to bring out the character of each piece (which is reflected in the short descriptions of each song provided in the sleeve notes).
The first track on this album begins with solo harmonica playing a simple harmony and building tempo and overtones (at times chugging like an accordion) before the rest of the band join it. Here, and in the other tunes which begin with the harmonica, the elemental folk tunes take precedence and it feels as if the burden of stating and maintaining the theme constrains Jers playing and seems to limit the rest of the band. It is as if respect for the traditional nature of the music is holding any sense of jazz impishness at bay and, for someone unfamiliar with these Swedish folk tunes, can result in what sounds like safe and formulaic playing. Fortunately, the majority of the tracks begin with introductions from the very tight rhythm section (Johan Lindbom on bass and Willie Alin on drums) and here things become more interesting; this is particularly the case in the passages where Lindbom's bowed bass sets the tone for the piece. Henrik Hallberg's fluent guitar (favouring the heavy sustain and high treble of players like Bill Frisell but with a very pleasing lyricism that is uniquely his own) produces some beautifully rich textures in which Jers stretches both harmonically and rhythmically.
It is in these pieces, which seems to only lightly borrow from the tunes that they are playing, that the band really shows its potential and suggests that the harmonica could, in the hands of a master like Jers, become a fully fledged instrument to expand and extend the jazz canon.
Reviewed by Chris Baber
Schmalensee Produktion SPCD006 2015
Philip Jers: harmonica; Henrik Hallberg: guitar; Johan Lindbom: bass; Willie Alin: drums
The Filip Jers Quartet was awarded "Best Group" at the European Jazz Competition in 2014, providing a contemporary take on the music of Toots Thielemans on their debut album in 2013, and in this follow-up, they have expanded their repertoire of Swedish Folk tunes to fill 13 tracks.
The harmonica is an instrument which seems to lend itself to either a crystal clear, straight-ahead rendition of a song or a wheezing accompaniment to other instruments. On this album, Jers plays a variety of harmonicas (chromatic, diatonic and bass harmonicas are listed against his name in the credits). This mix of types of instrument produces a wide range of sounds. Jers demonstrates virtuosity on all types and a pleasing sense of melody across the different pieces that he plays. It would be interesting to know how far the instrument would lend itself to freer playing and improvisation, but this is not an album which seeks extremes of expression. Rather, it is a collection of musicians who are clearly comfortable working together and playing a set of folk songs in a jazz idiom, respectfully treating these songs as Standards and weaving a tapestry of sound around them to bring out the character of each piece (which is reflected in the short descriptions of each song provided in the sleeve notes).
The first track on this album begins with solo harmonica playing a simple harmony and building tempo and overtones (at times chugging like an accordion) before the rest of the band join it. Here, and in the other tunes which begin with the harmonica, the elemental folk tunes take precedence and it feels as if the burden of stating and maintaining the theme constrains Jers playing and seems to limit the rest of the band. It is as if respect for the traditional nature of the music is holding any sense of jazz impishness at bay and, for someone unfamiliar with these Swedish folk tunes, can result in what sounds like safe and formulaic playing. Fortunately, the majority of the tracks begin with introductions from the very tight rhythm section (Johan Lindbom on bass and Willie Alin on drums) and here things become more interesting; this is particularly the case in the passages where Lindbom's bowed bass sets the tone for the piece. Henrik Hallberg's fluent guitar (favouring the heavy sustain and high treble of players like Bill Frisell but with a very pleasing lyricism that is uniquely his own) produces some beautifully rich textures in which Jers stretches both harmonically and rhythmically.
It is in these pieces, which seems to only lightly borrow from the tunes that they are playing, that the band really shows its potential and suggests that the harmonica could, in the hands of a master like Jers, become a fully fledged instrument to expand and extend the jazz canon.
Reviewed by Chris Baber
