The Vasa Warship, a work of art built in 1628, salvaged in 1961 form the depths of the Stockholm harbor. I post it hear simply because this might be the oldest thing I’ve photographed since being in Stockholm.
An easy way to create a new jazz vernacular is to rearrange indigenous folk music with the jazz harmonic language. A clear example is Jan Johansson’s Jazz På Svenska (Jazz in Swedish). I had the pleasure of hearing trumpeter Bengt Ernyds perform a jazz arrangement of a 13th century medieval folk song this past Saturday night at the Glenn Miller Café. Check it out!
I’m still discovering what exactly Swedish jazz is; what Nordic jazz is. I know what it isn’t more than anything. My search is refined now, I’m selective in the groups I record. I’d rather not post omni-bookers, musicians playing only traditional imitations of jazz. Of course, I still love to play and hear standards. Jazz is jazz. Good music is good music. But my search now targets the pleasant subtleties of the jazz here. It’s free nature, spacey vibe, use of new sounds, and fusion with electronic.
I recently wrote a creative short piece, if you haven’t seen it yet, dig on it: Where do you go when you space out?
For kicks… a small glimpse of the 24/7 nightlife in Östermalmstorg, the neighborhood I stroll through on my way to the Glenn Miller Cafe.
“Courage is crucial… I can’t conceive of a great musician who has not explored the highest levels of courageous engagement in their craft… That’s what greatness is; it’s a courage to go to the edge of life’s abyss, to step out on nothing and still think you’re going to land on something.”
– Cornel West –
