Ingrid Jensen: Landings
Ingrid Jensen is a Canadian trumpet player much admired in North America as a prime mover of the all-female jazz supergroup, Artemis, and for her playing with her own small groups. Sadly, only the cognoscenti are aware of her in the UK but perhaps her excellent new album, Landings, will provoke more recognition on this side of the pond.
The opening number, a version of Amsterdam After Dark, complete with a blistering, virtuoso solo from the evergreen George Coleman, demonstrates that this is a band that looks to the past as well as the future. Deeply rooted in jazz tradition, Jensen’s quartet nevertheless has a dramatic edge that is totally contemporary. Her soloing is powerful and energetic, full of commitment and imagination, often leaving you breathless.
The rest of the album shows the band in different styles and moods. On Carla Bley’s Ida Lupino her trumpet pushes out from under a tender guitar solo, weaving between the pianistic musings of the organ, creating and releasing tension before building into a rousing climax. In her own composition Handmaidens Tale the trumpet enters with a declamatory call to arms, creating a powerful dramatic statement which recedes and evolves into a simple but beautiful melody. Another of her compositions, Landings, starts with dramatic, swirling atmospherics as the ensemble floats through the ether before landing into a melodic groove.
Perhaps the most enjoyable of the original tunes, guitarist Marvin Sewell’s The Workers Dance, is a soulful waltz. Jensen underpins the groove-filled twang of Sewell’s guitar before drifting into a beautiful, lyrical solo of her own.
Most impressive is the way that this quartet retain their personality whatever they are playing. These are players at the top of their game, able to be dramatic, soulful or groovy, clearly capable of virtuosity but discerning enough to know when to keep it simple, adventurous but also conscious of an earlier tradition. And throughout, Jensen’s trumpet shines, a distinctive voice that commands our total attention.
Discography
Amsterdam After Dark; New Body; Ida Lupino; Handmaidens Tale; Landings; The Workers Dance; Many Homes, Many Places; Home (41.38)
Jensen (t); Gary Versace (org); Marvin Sewell (g); Jon Wikan (d); George Coleman (ts on Amsterdam After Dark). EastSide Sound, New York, NY, 7-8 February 2025.
Newvelle Records NV037
Mateusz Smoczynski: Fallen Angel For Violin, Piano and Orchestra
A fanfare of heavy, brooding chords from the brass section announces that something ominous is about to happen. The piano takes over as the violin plays an anxious melody. Is this from the soundtrack of a Godzilla movie? No, it’s a piece for violin, piano and orchestra by Polish violinist Mateusz Smoczyński. And it’s called Fallen Angel, so it’s not Godzilla, it’s the devil.
A sinister drumbeat introduces a tormented melody on the violin… before the menace returns. The violin skips along as if in a piece by Prokofiev. The brooding continues as the piano underpins an aching melody on the violin which repeats and repeats as the orchestral growls and groans, building to a climax. The violin makes a break for it, attempting to escape the dramatic swell of the orchestra. It doesn’t succeed. The accelerating crescendo of the orchestra catches up and overwhelms it as the violin screams in protest.
This is certainly dramatic. And orchestrated and played with exceptional skill. Smoczyński’s sound is sublime and he plays with real expression, as does the pianist Dominik Wania. The composition is full of drama and emotion, if a little tortured. But it’s difficult to see what connection this music has with jazz. The accompanying notes talk of free improvisation but it is difficult to know where a written tune becomes improvised. The cadenzas are improvised, of course, but then they would be in a classical setting. And there is no syncopation. And when we hear a beautiful melody, like the simple waltz of Elegy, it is soon submerged in the dramatic swell of the orchestra. This owes more to the orchestral music of Bernard Hermann than to Gershwin or Quincy Jones.
Nevertheless, it is impressive, beautifully played and recorded, with soloists of considerable talent. As the blurb confirms, this is a piece of dramatic narrative. Smoczyński should be writing for the movies.
Discography
I. The Fall; II. Devil’s Whispers; III. Psalm; IV. Fire; V. Violin Cadenza; VI. Elegy; VII. Piano Cadenza; VIII. Redemption; IX. Piano Cadenza (alt) (30.00)
Smoczyński (v); Dominik Wania (p); Polish Radio Orchestra. Witold Lutosławski Concert Studio of Polish Radio, Warsaw. 17–19 November 2023.
Warner 5026854186177
Håkan Broström: Better Days
All over the globe there are jazz musicians who may not be doing anything desperately new or innovative, but who carry the flame, creating music that defines the art form and brings joy to jazz fans. They might explore potential new voicings or chords of standards, or, as with Håkan Broström, compose new tunes that keep the medium alive, bringing something new to the familiar.
The title of Broström’s new album, Better Days, suggests an eye to the past, as do song titles such as Gone and Memories Of You, but this is not an exercise in nostalgia. The music may be inspired by the great jazz players of 50 or more years ago but it is no accident that those are the artists who still fill our shelves today. Theirs was a lasting legacy and Broström continues to keep it fresh and very appealing.
These are lively, buoyant numbers, played on both alto and soprano sax with ease and fluency by Broström, who has been a familiar voice on the Swedish jazz scene for a few decades. There is something welcoming and optimistic about his lilting rhythms and flowing melodies, carried with eloquence and assurance with a skill honed over years. He is accompanied by emerging Swedish talent, members of Britta Virves’ trio, who have already caught the attention of Kurt Rosenwinkel. Virves provides some tasteful solos, and the rhythm section provide sensitive and cohesive support. But this is very much Broström’s album, a tribute to his imagination and warmth. Better Days gives you a chance to relax in the company of one of Sweden’s top musicians.
Discography
Better Days; Nikita; Gone; As Long As You Are Here; Memories To Share; Mikka; Cosmic Friends (38.05)
Broström (as, ss); Britta Virves (p); Jon Henriksson (b); Jonas Bäckman (d). Yardhouse Studio, Stockholm, June 2025.
Voe Records
