Lee Ritenour -Rio Funk

Check this out how important it is to keep a thight rythm playing to make it swing..

Just pros knows that, did you?

Mr "Captain Fingers" and his friends strikes again!

Stairway to the Stars / Two Classics - Dexter Gordon / Bill Evans

Bill Evans

Dexter Gordon (Tenor Saxophone)
Bud Powell (Piano)
Pierre Michelot (Bass)
Kenny Clarke (Drums)

September in the Rain

Frank Sinatra

Julie London

Bing Crosby

Rod Stewart

Are just some of many artists that recorded this nice song, 

Your personal choice ?

Olympen in Lund Sweden / Conserts in nostalgia

Olympen in Lund The University town in south of Sweden, was a great place to see big names in music and conserts.

I have some great memories of very good conserts there. And I must say that I am very impressed of how many good bands and artists they had at that time. 

Since I lived in Malmö most of "Olympens" years of highlights I remembering beeing to some of those.

Check this out it´s a must see!

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http://www.olympen.nu/konserter/ 

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Maybe I have some pictures and memories from some of those conserts that I visited . Stay tuned for upcoming memories!

Tim Hagans / Dexter Gordon

Tim Hagans "First Jazz" 

Well, time flies but some stars remains..

This guy above I think is the one out of the Question that changed Jazzhistory in Malmö.

I remember him very well. He came from USA and he had playing with Stan Kentons Big Band.. Was it a rumor or was it the real facts?

In the beginning everybody wanted to listen to his way of playing. I remember him as a shy and a little "bohemian" guy that didn´t say that much. He almost joined every gig in Malmö in those days. But on the stage he was just outstanding. I believed he went to Copenhagen for joining DR Big Band for a while. It was long ago I heard anything lately of him.

No one was near his talent. The discussions went high.... Either you loved his way of playing or you didn´t. Nothing in between mattered. To me at that time I found him intresting and talented, but not "my bag". But this guy also became an "institution" . After a while you got to know his style very well. He also became a great influence for all the guys in Tolvan (12:an) Big Band. Bigger than the leader himself  (Helge Albin) I would say.

Well, I round up an finish this little journey and sojourn of memories in the world of nostalgia of jazzmusic in Malmö with one of the greatest all time in my point of veiw.

 

Mr. LTD (Long Tall Dexter)

 

Dexter Gordon as I would say, he was one of the first pioneers of the American JazzStars that came to Scandinavia and espescially Denmark in Copenhagen to live there. I think his successfulness and prosperity in Denmark was like a magnet to those jazzcats that stayed in Denmark and to those that I have mentioned earlier. He played very often at "Jazzhus Montmartre" in Copenhagen and did just a few gigs in Malmö.

In those days I found him very much associated with Montmartre in Copenhagen. He performed at least 2 or 3 nights there, so often that you sometimes wondered if he "lived" at the club..

 

Dexter Gordon - tenor sax
Sonny Clark - piano
Butch Warren - bass
Billy Higgins - drums

Today I realize what a great Jazzcat he really was and to me his records and playing is just outstanding! 

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RIP Mr Gordon!

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I am not sure, but this above could be

1971 with Kenny Drew piano, Niels Henning Ørsted Pedersen bass and a drummer called Jual Curtis. At the "old"

Jazzhus Montmatre in Copenhagen.

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Dexter Gordon Quartet- Georgia On My Mind.
From album- "Biting the Apple".
Dexter Gordon- Tenor Sax.
Barry Harris- Piano.
Sam Jones- Bass.
Al Foster- Drums.

P.S : Please, Check also older articles in my blogg.

Illinois Jaqcuet / Johnny Griffin / NEXUS / JiM

Illinois Jacquet

Was also a great jazzcat that very often had conserts in Copenhagen and in Malmö too.

I don´t remember if he joined the teachers or the clinics, maybe I am wrong here, but he had always his own band. What I can recall he didn´t join any of the jamsessions at Malmö jazzclub "Bohemia"  or later "Fredmans" at all, as the other cats often did.

But Malmös closeness to the biggest Jazzcity in Scandinavia Copenhagen surely drag him to do gigs at several places in Denmark I´m sure.

Check this link:

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Illinois_Jacquet

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NEXUS

Was a great Jazzfusion-band from Malmö too. Inspired not only by the fusiongroup Weather Report. They had thier own style that attracted both fusion and ordinary jazzlisteners. 

I was living in Malmö Sweden 1976~1996. 

But the names here are just the few Americans that visited Malmö. They all lived in Copenhagen and played there also very often.

The club mostly featured Swedish "young" talents that came from mostly south of Sweden and the school. Of course the "backing cats" were those who were available from the Jazz-Highschool.

But, I Must name a few that still around, that I still remember:

Håkan Broström (sax), Thomas Franck (ts)

Anders Bergcrantz (tr)

But you mustn´t forget the University town close to Malmö; Lund as a concertown.

This town had Conserts with BIG names  at Places like Olympen, Pub Sparta and AF ( Students society).

Names like: ABBA, Count Basie, Procul Harum, Frank Zappa, Herbie Hancock Headhunters, Woody Hermans Big Band. Chick Corea:s RTF, Stevie Ray Vaughan, Janne Shaffer (Earmeal) and Manhattan Transfer and many many more.

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I end up this little Jazz nostalgia-trip from Malmö/ Sweden

With Johnny Griffin, also a Jazzcat that made many great conserts in Malmö.

 

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https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Johnny_Griffin 

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Jazz i Malmö (JiM) History and a tradition that always came the 13 of dec was the great jazzfestival at a place called "Swing-Inn" near the center of Malmö. This festival started 12 O´clock at noon and ended 12 O´clock at night. There were bands playing at every floor. This building had 4 floors.No food was served but there was restaurants around the corners.

The big final was when 12:an big band ended the whole show!

At 12 o´clock!

You might say that you ran up and down the stairs to check out the "goodies". Lots of beer and all kinds of jazz!

Here it is:

https://www.google.com/maps/@55.6027036,13.0035681,3a,75y,271.05h,104.82t/data=!3m6!1e1!3m4!1sB9D7OkAXdF16LNtFOs3Zgg!2e0!7i13312!8i6656!6m1!1e1

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This link is in Swedish

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http://jazzimalmo.com/om-jazz-i-malmo/historik/

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  Maybe I have forgotten one or two of the Big Stars, some that are gone today, and some is still around, but not in Scandinavia any more. I think now you probably know who will be "starring" jazzcats tomorrow, don´t you?

Idrees Sulieman / Tolvan Big Band (12:an)

Tommy Flanagan, John Coltrane, Idrees Sulieman & Kenny Burrel - Minor Mishap 

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IS was also a well known jazzcat that performed several times at "Bohemia Jazzclub" in Malmö/Sweden and Copenhagen during the 70´s and 80´s.

He had more of a hard Bop style and I think he was the most important teacher and ifluences to young students at Malmö Jazzhighschool.

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https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Idrees_Sulieman 

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Malmö Jazzhighschool formed a lot of talented young jazzcats at this time and they also had a great Bigband called The 12:an Big Band. Leader: Helge Albin.

Remember that fusion style (mixture of rock and jazz) were very popular among younger students at this time, especially for those who studied guitar, bass, keybord and drums.  As most of the "teachers" came from horns or reed sections. It showed very quick that talented students became very good. So good that in the bigband 12:an, was a mixture of the most talented students and the teachers. Many thoughts and meanings have been said about that the level of this band, was very high and their tunes were almost too overarranged in a way that ordinary jazzlovers didn´t like. It became an institution for for teachers, students and music for muscians. Well, you can have many aspects of more "intellectual" kind of music that are intresting.

The music knowlege, and skills at very high level could sometimes become so "high" that ordinary jazzlovers turned them down. Thats sad. But those things happen when the ambitions of being good, and "showing-off" in a sofisicated way are more important than the joy of playing is.

But the true facts about Malmö Jazzhighschool and 12:an big band, there has come a lot of very good jazzcats out of there.

More to come.

Tolvan (12:an) Big Band from Malmö

Tolvan Big Band live från Malmöfestivalen 1987(?)
Solon: Helge Albin, Lars Danielsson, Anders Bergcrantz, Lennart Gruvstedt
Saxofoner: Helge Albin, Per Bäcker, Inge Petterson, Cennteh Jönsson, Bernt Sjunnesson
Trumpeter: Roy Wall, Sten Ingelf, Anders Gustafsson, Fredrik Davidsson, Anders Bergcrantz
Tromboner: Vincent Nilsson, Olle Tull, Mats Wickström,Gunnar Eneroth, Björn Hängsel
Gitarr: Anders "Chico" Lindvall
Piano: Torbjörn Brorsson
Bas: Lars Danielsson
Trummor: Lennart Gruvstedt
Melodi "Softly as in a morning sunrise"

Arrangemang: Helge Albin