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Big Band Splash: Volume 5
ByNorgren's charts, we are told, encompass songs associated with Otis Redding, Beyonce, Etta James, O.V. Wright, Otis Rush and B.B. King, among others, a statement that must go unchallenged here, as none of those performers has earned a place in this listener's lexicon. To put it another way, Norgren's orchestra is swimming and splashing in uncharted waters, which makes a sober appraisal more perplexing than might otherwise be the case. That said, we shall plow ahead with the ardor of a Michael Phelps until that purpose has been achieved.
One thing is clear at the outset: Sweden boasts a surprisingly large number of singers who seem well-versed in these genres, as no less than eight are featured on the album's dozen tracks. Each of them sounds credible, even though that opinion must be tempered by a general unfamiliarity with the music. The last selection ("Well, I Done Got Over It") is especially poignant, as it showcases Sven Zetterberg, one of Sweden's most celebrated soul and blues musicians, who died last year at age sixty-four. The other vocalists are Kristina Talajic ("Love Addict"), Tad Robinson ("Baby, Don't Lose Your Cool"), Graciela Chin A Loi ("Love, Your Magic Spell Is Everywhere," "Suga Mama"), Marino Valle ("Down in the Valley," "That's How Strong My Love Is"), EllyEve ("All I Could Do Was Cry," "Don't Freeze on Me"), Linn Segolson ("Baby, Please Don't Go") and Knock-Out Greg ("You Don't Know," "Working Man").
While Norgren's charts are persuasive and the ensemble well-grounded, whatever splash the album makes rests on one's penchant for soul, blues and their close cousins, R&B and funk, as the album is by no means aimed at a jazz audience. For what it is, however, it seems to be quite well done.
Track Listing
Love Addict; Baby, Don’t Lose Your Cool; Love, Your Magic Spell Is Everywhere; Down in the Valley; All I Could Do Was Cry; Baby, Please Don’t Go; You Don’t Know; That’s How Strong My Love Is; Don’t Freeze on Me; Working Man; Suga Mama; Well, I Done Got Over It.
Personnel
Jakob Norgren
saxophone, baritoneJakob Norgren: leader, arranger, conductor, baritone sax; Fredrik Oscarsson: trumpet; Jan Kohlin: trumpet; Jonne Bentlov: trumpet; David Ljunggren: trumpet; Olle Hedstrom: trumpet; Jens Filipsson: alto sax; Lina Lovstrand: alto sax, flute; Kai Sundquist: tenor sax, bassoon; Christian Herluf Pederson: tenor sax; Fredrik Ruud: trombone; Mats Aleklint: trombone; Magnus Wiklund: trombone; Klas Eriksson: bass trombone, tuba; Kristoffer Siggstedt: bass trombone, tuba; Mathias Lundquist: keyboards; Magnus Josephson: guitars; Lars Ekman: bass; Johan Svensson: drums; Andreas Ekstedt: percussion; EllyEve, Kristina Talajic, Graciela Chin A Loi, Tad Robinson, Marino Valle, Linn Segolson, Knock-Out Greg, Sven Zetterberg: vocals.
Album information
Title: Volume 5 | Year Released: 2017 | Record Label: Wime Records
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About Jakob Norgren
Instrument: Saxophone, baritone
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