FRODE KJEKESTAD – A Piece Of The Apple
Losen: LOS178-2
Frode Kjekstad: guitar; Eric Alexander: saxophone; Mike LeDonne: organ; Joe Farnsworth: drums.
Recorded Tedesco Studios on Janaury 9th 2014.
From the opening bars of track 1, the album’s title track, you are whisked back to the ‘60s, with a stomping Hammond organ sound over which sax and guitar trade delicious licks. The ‘Apple’ in the title is, of course, New York and on this set Kjekstad plays with a trio who have a regular slot in ‘Smoke’, a jazz club in the City. As ace guitarist, Randy Johnston notes in his liner notes, this trio is “as tight in their playing together as real fraternal brothers” – and their generosity in the way they welcome Kjekstad into their fold is just of the pleasing aspects of this set. Each piece in this set connects with a style of jazz that mixes Bop harmonies with Cool sensibilities to produce immediately familiar tunes. Four of these tunes are Kjekstad originals, and the other five are covers, and it is testament to the tightness of the playing here (and Kjekstad’s composing skills) that it is not easy to spot one from the other. Covers include Sondheim’s ‘Not while I’m around’ (track 4) and Mercer / Arlen’s ‘My shining hour’ (track 7). These might not be common in the repertoire of jazz Standards, but they’ll be familiar to listeners in the way the tunes develop – and there is a neat way that the quartet here mix things up and serve these in ways that fit their style of playing.
Kjekstad’s playing has a lovely warmth and richness which has a light reverb and high treble that reminded me of some of the guitarists from the late ‘50s and early ’60s. His style of playing is perfectly supported by the organ (and he’s previously released CDs with Dr. Lonnie Smith (2004) and Alberto Marsico (2010), as well as starting out with Paul Wagnberg in the ‘90s). There are several impressive aspects of Kjekstad’s playing; not only his facility for developing chord progressions of sophistication at high tempo but also the cleanness with which he picks his notes, even stunningly high speed. Alexander takes each solo is full-blooded bebop mode and counterpoints the guitar soloing with precision and elegance. All in all this is a CD of very cool jazz played by a quartet with warmth and empathy.
Reviewed by Chris Baber
Losen: LOS178-2
Frode Kjekstad: guitar; Eric Alexander: saxophone; Mike LeDonne: organ; Joe Farnsworth: drums.
Recorded Tedesco Studios on Janaury 9th 2014.
From the opening bars of track 1, the album’s title track, you are whisked back to the ‘60s, with a stomping Hammond organ sound over which sax and guitar trade delicious licks. The ‘Apple’ in the title is, of course, New York and on this set Kjekstad plays with a trio who have a regular slot in ‘Smoke’, a jazz club in the City. As ace guitarist, Randy Johnston notes in his liner notes, this trio is “as tight in their playing together as real fraternal brothers” – and their generosity in the way they welcome Kjekstad into their fold is just of the pleasing aspects of this set. Each piece in this set connects with a style of jazz that mixes Bop harmonies with Cool sensibilities to produce immediately familiar tunes. Four of these tunes are Kjekstad originals, and the other five are covers, and it is testament to the tightness of the playing here (and Kjekstad’s composing skills) that it is not easy to spot one from the other. Covers include Sondheim’s ‘Not while I’m around’ (track 4) and Mercer / Arlen’s ‘My shining hour’ (track 7). These might not be common in the repertoire of jazz Standards, but they’ll be familiar to listeners in the way the tunes develop – and there is a neat way that the quartet here mix things up and serve these in ways that fit their style of playing.
Kjekstad’s playing has a lovely warmth and richness which has a light reverb and high treble that reminded me of some of the guitarists from the late ‘50s and early ’60s. His style of playing is perfectly supported by the organ (and he’s previously released CDs with Dr. Lonnie Smith (2004) and Alberto Marsico (2010), as well as starting out with Paul Wagnberg in the ‘90s). There are several impressive aspects of Kjekstad’s playing; not only his facility for developing chord progressions of sophistication at high tempo but also the cleanness with which he picks his notes, even stunningly high speed. Alexander takes each solo is full-blooded bebop mode and counterpoints the guitar soloing with precision and elegance. All in all this is a CD of very cool jazz played by a quartet with warmth and empathy.
Reviewed by Chris Baber
