NINA PEDERSEN- Eyes Wide Open
Losen: LOS184-2
Nina Pedersen: voice; Pierpaolo Principato: piano, keyboards; Marco Loddo: double bass; Giampaolo Scatozza: drums, live electronics; Aldo Bassi: trumpet (tracks 2 and 3); Paolo Innarella: saxophone (tracks 6 and 8)
Recorded June 22nd and July 3rd 2016, Exrtabeat Studio, Rome.
Pedersen has had a varied career as a singer. She has worked with a trip-hop group (Mata Hari) and and an 18 piece jazz orchestra (Moonlight Big Band) and sung in stage musicals (‘Chess’). Such a breadth of musical styles makes her a versatile singer, as evidenced on this collection. What these experiences have also provided is a solid appreciation of the ways in which words and music fit together. Each of the compositions on this set are Pedersen’s - except for track 2, ‘Ribbons of Sand’, which is a piece by John Surman and Karin Krog. Indeed, Karin Krog writes, in the liner notes, of how impressed she is by the ‘melodic songs which told a story, sung expressively by Nina’s dark and mature voice.’ Each of Pedersen’s compositions demonstrate an impressive ability to have the melody combine with the lyrics to produce a deeply emotional and compelling interplay. That she also lecturers on vocal jazz at Rome’s Saint Louis College of Music should come as no surprise. This combination is helped by the fact that she is singing with her regular trio (with whom she has recorded a couple of previous albums), and the emotional content brought out by some fine soloing by the guest trumpet and saxophone players.
The sound, overall, has a relaxed and laidback feel, with compositions that work a mixture of Torch Songs with a subtle sprinkling of contemporary electronic wash and effects. As much as this is a European record (from Norway via Italy), this has its heart in Brazil with the nods to a gentle bossa nova in several pieces with a strong rhythm section giving each track its swing. The piano accompaniment of Principato is particurly dextrous and delicate, carrying the mood of each piece while giving the voice plenty of space to convey its meaning, emotion and optimism. To quote Krog’s liner notes, ‘A top class album’.
Reviewed by Chris Baber
Losen: LOS184-2
Nina Pedersen: voice; Pierpaolo Principato: piano, keyboards; Marco Loddo: double bass; Giampaolo Scatozza: drums, live electronics; Aldo Bassi: trumpet (tracks 2 and 3); Paolo Innarella: saxophone (tracks 6 and 8)
Recorded June 22nd and July 3rd 2016, Exrtabeat Studio, Rome.
Pedersen has had a varied career as a singer. She has worked with a trip-hop group (Mata Hari) and and an 18 piece jazz orchestra (Moonlight Big Band) and sung in stage musicals (‘Chess’). Such a breadth of musical styles makes her a versatile singer, as evidenced on this collection. What these experiences have also provided is a solid appreciation of the ways in which words and music fit together. Each of the compositions on this set are Pedersen’s - except for track 2, ‘Ribbons of Sand’, which is a piece by John Surman and Karin Krog. Indeed, Karin Krog writes, in the liner notes, of how impressed she is by the ‘melodic songs which told a story, sung expressively by Nina’s dark and mature voice.’ Each of Pedersen’s compositions demonstrate an impressive ability to have the melody combine with the lyrics to produce a deeply emotional and compelling interplay. That she also lecturers on vocal jazz at Rome’s Saint Louis College of Music should come as no surprise. This combination is helped by the fact that she is singing with her regular trio (with whom she has recorded a couple of previous albums), and the emotional content brought out by some fine soloing by the guest trumpet and saxophone players.
The sound, overall, has a relaxed and laidback feel, with compositions that work a mixture of Torch Songs with a subtle sprinkling of contemporary electronic wash and effects. As much as this is a European record (from Norway via Italy), this has its heart in Brazil with the nods to a gentle bossa nova in several pieces with a strong rhythm section giving each track its swing. The piano accompaniment of Principato is particurly dextrous and delicate, carrying the mood of each piece while giving the voice plenty of space to convey its meaning, emotion and optimism. To quote Krog’s liner notes, ‘A top class album’.
Reviewed by Chris Baber
