VARIOUS ACT ARTISTS - Twenty Five Magic Years - The Jubilee Album
ACT 9850-2
Various ACT Artists including bands led by Nils Landgren (vcls, trom) Esbjorn Sevensson (pno) Viktoria Tolstoy (vcl) Marious Neset (reeds) Michael Woollny (pno)
Founder and Curator Siggi Loch can be more than pleased with the phenomenal progress and position in the Music Industry of his ACT record label launched in 1992. The brand now stands proudly alongside the likes of Blue Note and ECM as one of the foremost labels in Jazz history. Everything about the product shows quality, taste and an individual hallmark from the packaging and biographical notes to it's unchallenged position at the head of the European contemporary jazz related music. Not only have there been over 500 releases during the labels twenty five year history, the founder has introduced us to now major artists of the genre such as Nils Landgren, Lars Danielsson and perhaps the greatest of all, the late great Esbjorn Svensson. Today the likes of pianists Micheal Woolny and Iiro Rantala are more than well placed to propel this fine tradition forward.
The album itself, as you would expect offers music of the very highest quality. It is not however a complete representation of the labels full catalogue (included with the disc alongside a thirty seven page booklet). The thirteen recordings over the seventy minute playing time cover only the period from 2003 to 2016 and include ten previously unreleased items. There are very many highlights here including the opener, Lennon & McCartneys "Come Together" by Nils Landgren on vocals and trombone accompanied by the guitar of Ulf Walkenius and Lars Danielsson's bass recorded only last October in Berlin. The same trio update Nat Adderley's "Walk Tall" with much aplomb and Iiro Rantala's "Tears For Esbjorn" with Adam Baldych on violin from a 2013 session in Cologne form a very poignant moment. Marius Neset shows us his most compelling soprano sound on his own composition "Prag Ballad" augmented by two of the brightest stars of the UK scene, Jim Hart on marimba and Ivo Neame at the piano.
In summary this is an almost "Must Have" recording with the final cut being very aptly a solo representation of "Prelude In D" by the EST master Esbjorn Svensson in 2005. See alsowww.actmusic.com for further information about the album which is available as a CD or on Vinyl.
Reviewed by Jim Burlong
ACT 9850-2
Various ACT Artists including bands led by Nils Landgren (vcls, trom) Esbjorn Sevensson (pno) Viktoria Tolstoy (vcl) Marious Neset (reeds) Michael Woollny (pno)
Founder and Curator Siggi Loch can be more than pleased with the phenomenal progress and position in the Music Industry of his ACT record label launched in 1992. The brand now stands proudly alongside the likes of Blue Note and ECM as one of the foremost labels in Jazz history. Everything about the product shows quality, taste and an individual hallmark from the packaging and biographical notes to it's unchallenged position at the head of the European contemporary jazz related music. Not only have there been over 500 releases during the labels twenty five year history, the founder has introduced us to now major artists of the genre such as Nils Landgren, Lars Danielsson and perhaps the greatest of all, the late great Esbjorn Svensson. Today the likes of pianists Micheal Woolny and Iiro Rantala are more than well placed to propel this fine tradition forward.
The album itself, as you would expect offers music of the very highest quality. It is not however a complete representation of the labels full catalogue (included with the disc alongside a thirty seven page booklet). The thirteen recordings over the seventy minute playing time cover only the period from 2003 to 2016 and include ten previously unreleased items. There are very many highlights here including the opener, Lennon & McCartneys "Come Together" by Nils Landgren on vocals and trombone accompanied by the guitar of Ulf Walkenius and Lars Danielsson's bass recorded only last October in Berlin. The same trio update Nat Adderley's "Walk Tall" with much aplomb and Iiro Rantala's "Tears For Esbjorn" with Adam Baldych on violin from a 2013 session in Cologne form a very poignant moment. Marius Neset shows us his most compelling soprano sound on his own composition "Prag Ballad" augmented by two of the brightest stars of the UK scene, Jim Hart on marimba and Ivo Neame at the piano.
In summary this is an almost "Must Have" recording with the final cut being very aptly a solo representation of "Prelude In D" by the EST master Esbjorn Svensson in 2005. See alsowww.actmusic.com for further information about the album which is available as a CD or on Vinyl.
Reviewed by Jim Burlong
