Acoustic Lounge: Alone Together

The Danish quintet put a soul and Latin slant on standards old and new, from Schwartz and Dietz's Alone Together to Pharrell Williams' Happy

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The name “Acoustic Lounge” pretty much sums up the course these Danish musicians have set for themselves. The album was produced remotely during the pandemic, like many others that resulted from the curtailment of live music and the inability to congregate in a single studio.

The album contains an eclectic mix of songs written between 1932 and 2010, and they were selected for no better reason than they are loved by each of the musicians. There is no original content but the format the band have adopted is perhaps better suited to standards as well as the occasional modern classic such as Pharrell Williams’ Happy and Sam Sparro’s Black And Gold.

The band gives a distinct soul and Latin American groove to the material here and the Schwartz and Dietz opener, Alone Together, is a good showcase for their collective talents. Baun’s vocal style and higher range is well suited to songs such as The Shadow Of Your Smile and One Note Samba that would normally be the preserve of female jazz singers. There are also definite hints of Donny Hathaway on several of the tracks.

Claus Waidtlow’s saxophone playing is moody and mellow throughout, and the percussion from Mikkel Schnettler hits the right balance between accompaniment and solo.

Overall, this is a very easy album to engage with. It’s not ground-breaking, but it is well executed. If soul, jazz and Cuban beats are your thing, then this album should appeal.

Discography
Alone Together; The Shadow Of Your Smile; One Note Samba: Black and Gold; Happy; Time Out Of Mind; Can’t Help Falling In Love; Lady Bird; Tightrope; What The World Needs Now Is Love (48.44)
Soren Baun (v, p, kyb); Claus Waidtlow (ts, f); Lars Vissing (flh, t); Jesper Bodilsen (b); Mikkel Schnettler (pc). Various locations during 2020/22.
Mingus Records