Mads Tolling Quartet Feat. Jacob Fischer - Celebrating Svend Asmussen

CD front - Gateway Music (2016)

Later this month - the 28th of February - Danish jazz fiddler supreme Svend Asmussen can celebrate his 100th anniversary. On the occasion of this great day there has already been initiated several events to mark the centennial of the remarkable and world famous Danish jazz musician, a.o. a new book recollecting Asmussen's life and career was released in Denmark last year and a collection of poetry in English and Danish celebrating Svend Asmussen as a person written by his wife, Ellen Bick Asmussen, has also been published. Last year also presented the music of Svend Asmussen in a new constellation by the Mads Tolling Quartet feat. Jacob Fischer in a series of concerts around Denmark and Sweden. Now this ensemble has just released the above shown CD recorded October 2015 featuring some of the music presented at the concert tour appropriately titled Celebrating Svend Asmussen.

Mads Tolling (photo courtesy madstolling.com)

Mads Tolling (b 1980) is an internationally renowned violinist and composer conducting a successful career worldwide. He grew up in Copenhagen and moved to the USA at age 20 to pursue jazz studies and graduated summa cum laude from Berkelee College of Music in 2003. While still attending Berklee, the renowned jazz violinist Jean-Luc Ponty recommended him to join Stanley Clarke’s band. Since then, Tolling has performed more than one hundred concerts with Clarke worldwide, including the Newport Jazz Festival. In 2007 Mads Tolling started his own trio and recorded the album Speed of Light. The following year the trio expanded to a quartet. With this quartet Mads Tolling released a live CD album in 2012 celebrating Jean-Luc Ponty, another CD

titled The Playmaker released in 2009 featured Stanley Clarke, Russell Ferrante and Stefon Harris. More about Mads Tolling's international career and recordings at the official website, here 

The Mads Tolling Quartet presented at the new CD has Mads Tolling playing violin in a repertoire of music known from Asmussen's own quartet live performances and recordings during the 1990s and 2000s. Besides Tolling this quartet has Scandinavian sidemen. Danish jazz guitar ace Jacob Fischer was a mainstay with Asmussen's quartet for 15 years and shares solo spots with Tolling, and they are accompanied by two very competent rhythm players, Kasper Tagel on double bass and Snorre Kirk on drums.

l-r: Kaper Tagel (b), Mads Tolling (v), Snorre Kirk (d), Jacob Fischer (g) (press photo)

There are eleven tracks at the new CD, four of them feature compositions by Asmussen - Take Off Blues, Hambo Om Bakfoten, Nadja and Scandinavian Shuffle. Also featued are two Gershwin tunes - Someone To Watch Over Me and I Got Rhythm, further two jazz standards in a duo performance by Tolling and Fischer - After You've Gone and Honeysuckle Rose. Two latin pieces are also presented - Piazzolla's Libertango and Jacob Fischer's Latino, and finally Asmussen's well known signature tune June Night. 

The arrangements of the featured tunes are excellent and so is the performance of the music, all members of the quartet contribute to the impression of a solid, swinging record.  The interplay between the musicians is great and well tested through several live performances at the time when the CD was recorded. Mads Tolling has the lead voice in all tracks and his touch at the violin resembles Asmussen's, a trained ear may also be able to trace other influences in Tolling's tone and approach, however, his versions of the featured tunes are great and leave plenty of space for his personal improvisation that gives renewed life and intensity to well-known tunes from Asmussen's book. It is hard to pick out highlights of the CD, all eleven tracks keep the attention of this listener at an intense level. Should I nevertheless point out a few highlights, then it must be the two duet recordings by Tolling and Fischer. Both men have ample opportunity to display their individual capacity as excellent improvisers and attentive musicians, especially the duo's version of Honeysuckle Rose marvels with inventive improvisation by both musicians. As mentioned, the rhythm section in the remaining tracks is competent and also gets solo spots a couple of times which generates a varied impression of the music when listening to the CD. 

- I highly recommend the CD as a splendid homage to the musical legacy of Svend Asmussen and not the least as an opportunity to celebrate his centennial while listening to the music.

The CD is released by Gateway Music and is available for purchase  here and here.

- If you are in Scandinavia this month, there are plenty of opportunities to attend a live performance by Mads Tolling Quartet featuring Jacob Fischer, a tour schedule is available at Tolling's website, here, or check out local media to keep updated on concert dates and locations.

To end this small review of the Quartet's celebration of Svend Asmussen, I'll insert a couple of uploaded videos of live performances from the quartet's concert tour in 2014. - Here is first a performance of It Don't Mean A Thing ...

Mads Tolling (v) and Jacob Fischer (g) - press photo

From another location, here is Tolling and Fischer's live duet performance of Honeysuckle Rose

Finally, here is the Quartet in a live performance of Asmussen's Scandinavian Shuffle

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Jo

keepitswinging.domain@gmail.com

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New CD From Danish Jazz Guitarist Jacob Fischer

Jacob Fischer
(photo by Lisbet Nielsen)

Some time ago I pointed you to two CDs by the Danish jazz guitarist Jacob Fischer recorded in New York for the Japanese label Venus Records in 2013 - you can still read the review here. Last year Jacob Fischer was back in New York to record again, this time for Arbors Records - a Florida situated company. The recordings were made in the Avartar studios in New York City and comprise material released earlier this year on the CD shown below, which is the second release by Arbors of Jacob Fischer recordings - the first was recorded in 2011 featuring fellow guitarist Bucky Pizzarelli a.o. and released in 2012 (- more info here).

CD front, Jacob Fischer ... In New York City, Arbors, ARCD 19444

The new CD by Jacob Fischer has twelve tracks and Fischer is accompanied by three American musicians: Chuck Redd on vibes, John Webber on double bass and Matt Wilson on drums. Jacob Fischer plays an acoustic-elctric Alhambra nylon-string flamenco guitar in all tracks, and the sound of the instrument together with Chuck Redd's vibes reminded me of an album in my collection featuring the Charlie Byrd Trio recorded in 1997 for Concord Jazz with the title 'Au Courant' (CCD 4779-2). The CD also featured Chuck Redd on vibes and the album remains one of my favorites by Charlie Byrd from this period.

Chuck Redd, photo copied from DCJazz website

Chuck Redd, who is also a drummer, joined Charlie Byrd in 1980 as a vibraphonist and the same year he also joined Great Guitars (Barney Kessel, Charlie Byrd and Herb Ellis) on drums. He was featured internationally on tours with the Barney Kessel Trio, Ken Peplowski, Terry Gibbs and Conte Candoli, and from 1991 until 1996 he was featured vibraphonist with the Mel Torme All-Star Jazz Quintet. He has toured and performed with Dizzy Gillespie, Mel Torme, Tommy Flanagan, Dick Hyman, Ray Brown, Monty Alexander, Laurindo Almeida, Tal Farlow, Red Norvo, Scott Hamilton, Mickey Roker and Frank Vignola. Further, Chuck Redd is featured on over 70 recordings and has released three CDs as a leader for Arbors, learn more at his official website, here 

John Webber, photo copied from smallsjazzclub.com

John Webber is a New York based double bass player, who leads his own trio named Bebop Generations. His primary inspiration as a bass player were Ray Brown and Paul Chambers, he has worked with musicians like Jimmy Scott, Lou Donaldson, Bill Hardman and Junior Cook, and he has been a regular bass player with Johnny Griffin and made records with Horace Silver and other musicians, learn more here 

Matt Wilson, photo by Michael Jackson

Matt Wilson is a New York based drummer,composer, bandleader, producer, and teaching artist. He leads his own Quartet and is an integral part of bands led by Joe Lovano, John Scofield, Charlie Haden, Lee Konitz, a.o.. He has performed with many legends of music including Herbie Hancock, Dewey Redman, Andrew Hill, Bobby Hutcherson, Elvis Costello, Cedar Walton, Kenny Barron, John Zorn, Marshall Allen, Wynton Marsalis, Michael Brecker, Pat Metheny, Bill Frisell and Hank Jones. Matt Wilson has further appeared on 250 CDs as a sideman and has released 9 as a leader. Learn more about his career at the official website, here 

Jacob Fischer, photo by Bruce Lindsay, Jazz Journal

Jacob Fischer on guitar and Chuck Redd on vibes share solos on most tracks of the new CD from Abors, but both Webber and Wilson are also left solo space showing off their chops. The overall impression of the music is that the four musicians together create a consistent and very listenable output, the interplay between Fischer and Redd is excellent and the support by the two rhythm players is solid and sustains the lead solo players in an exemplary way. The repertoire chosen for the CD contains standards like Cole Porter's Love For Sale and Every Time We Say Goodbye in updated arrangements including a special intro in Love For Sale by Fischer's guitar using both harmonics and slide adding a true blues feeling to the tune. There is also a splendid arrangement of Irving Berlin's Putting On The Ritz and further great readings of modern standards like A Nightingale Sang In Berkely Square, Tenderly and Billy Strayhorn's Daydream. Oscar Pettiford's Laverne Walk marks the blues imprint, and Fischer's inspiration from Django Reinhardt is incorporated in the quartet's interpretation of Swing 42 and Fischer's own composition titled Napolitana. 

Jacob Fischer and his three fellow musicians have recorded a very listenable CD for Arbors that contributes well to the modern interpretation of swing, Fischer's solos and arrangements set him in the company of other estimated guitarists as a true artist who knows and acknowledges his roots, but who also has sufficient experience and gravity to fully convince the listener that he is himself as a guitarist. - The CD is highliy recommended and is available for purchase here and here 

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Jo

keepitswinging.domain@gmail.com

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Jacob Fischer Trio - Two CDs Recorded In Two Days!

Jacob Fischer (photo: Ina Løndal)

The Danish jazz guitarist Jacob Fischer (b 1967) made his debut at the Copenhagen jazz festival at 17 and has since then been one of the hardest working musicians in Scandinavia. Jacob Fischer has worked with the best Scandinavian musicians as well as with visiting jazz greats. His versatile virtuosity can be heard on about 200 CDs. Since 1992 he has been a member of violin legend Svend Asmussens quartet and in 2008 he finally decided to release his first album in his own name, Jacob Fischer Trio featuring Svend Asmussen. This was followed by two more CDs by a Jacob Fischer Trio recorded in Copenhagen, in 2010 was released a CD titled Blues featuring Jacob Fischer's Organ Trio and in 2011 the CD titled Django - a tribute to the Gypsy legend featuring accordionist Francesco Cali. During a guest performance at The Fourth Annual Arbors Records Invitational Jazz Party (Fl., USA) in January 2012 Jacob Fischer recorded a CD titled Guitarist under his own name featuring fellow guitarist Bucky Pizzarelli in a quartet setting. More about the mentioned CDs at the official website, here.

Jacob Fischer (photo: Morten Langkilde)

Jacob Fischer has toured Scandinavia, Great Britain, Japan, Brazil and several European countries and he has recorded with internationally acclaimed musicians both in Denmark and abroad. In June 2013, he was in New York to record material for the Japanese Venus Records to be released in Japan, the recordings were done in two days, June 20 and 21, and the recorded material was released on two CDs in Japan later that year. Now the music of both CDs finally is available outside Japan and accessible for purchase at Amazon, Itunes a.o.

CD-front: My Romance (Venus Records, VHCD-1132)

As mentioned, the two days recording session in New York was released on two CDs, in all 25 tracks of which 13 are accessible on the shown My Romance, a tribute album to the inventive jazz piano player, Bill Evans. Jacob Fischer is accompanied by double bass player Martin Wind  and drummer Tim Horner, both acclaimed and New York based musicians.

Martin Wind - photo: All About Jazz web

The repertoire of the disc is concentrated on ballads and lyrical standards like the title tune by Richard Rodgers and there are four compositions in this genre by Bill Evans, "Time Remembered" and "Waltz For Debby", further "Show Type Tune" and "Interplay". Bill Evans and Miles Davis' collaboration is remembered in a reading of Davis' "Nardis" and modern jazz ballads like "I Fall In Love Too Easily" (Styne/Kahn), "My Foolish Heart" (V. Young), "Come Rain Or Come Shine" (H. Arlen) and "Polka Dots And Moonbeams" (J. Van Heusen) are also presented, the last mentioned as a solo guitar piece. A complete tracklist is available here.

Tim Horner - photo: Tim Horner website

The complex yet lyrical interpretation of the music reflects Bill Evans' ideas of using standard jazz tunes as a stepstone for reharmonisation and modulations of themes thus creating a tonal improvisation and motivic development of the music. This consept of jazz improvisation resembles the ideas applied by other modern jazz piano players like Thelonius Monk and Bud Powell, however, each of them are distinct and different in their own specific way, of course. Here on the CD by Jacob Fischer Trio no piano is playing, nevertheless Fischer's guitar playing reflects Evans' ideas convinsingly with great support by his two sidemen. Fischer's approach reminds me of fellow guitarist Lenny Breau, who also excelled in the exploration of jazz and standard tunes with ideas 

from the field developed by modern piano players like Bill Evans a.o..

CD-front: Black Orpheus (Venus Records, VHCD-1138)

The second CD from Jacob Fischer Trio recorded in the June 20 and 21 New York session is titled Black Orpheus  containing 12 tracks of Brazilian or Brazilian inspired tunes and may be considered a tribute to bossa nova and the roots of this style of music. Jacob Fischer, guitar, is again accompanied by Martin Wind on double bass, however, Brazilian drummer Duduka Da Fonseca has replaced Tim Horner.

Duduka Da Fonseca - photo: All About Jazz web

The title track of the CD refers to the famous 1959 film Orfeu Negro made in Brazil by French director Marcel Camus based on the play Orfeu da Conceição by Vinicius de Moraes, which is an adaptation of the Greek legend of Orpheus and Eurydice, set in the modern context of a favela in Rio de Janeiro during Carnaval. The film is particularly noted for its soundtrack by two Brazilian composers, Antônio Carlos Jobim and Luiz Bonfá, who - together with vocalist João Gilberto -  introduced the bossa nova internationally with this film. The music from the film has since been absorbed in the standard jazz repertoire and recorded numerous times by various artists. 

Original film poster (source: Wikipedia)

The tune "Black Orpheus" is also known as "Manhã de Carnaval", composed by Luiz Bonfá, and there is one more composition by Bonfá included, "Gentle Rain", which introduces the CD. A.C. Jobim is represented through five compositions - "Triste" (from the Black Orpheus film), "How Insensitive", "Once I Loved", "Desafinado" and "This Happy Madness" - the last mentioned here performed as a solo guitar piece. The remaining repertoire is represented by three compositions by choro mandolinist Jacob Bittencourt (aka Jacob do Bandolim) - "Assanhado", "Bole-Bole" and "Doce de Coco" - and two compositions by Jacob Fischer, "Little Teardrop" and "Sonho Carioca", both also recorded at the Django tribute CD from 2011 and reflecting Fischer's adoption of Brazilian choro. The trio again delivers a great musical output, the support of the rhythm section is excellent and Fischer's guitarplaying marvels throughout, his approach to this repertoire pays its due to other guitarists like Charlie Byrd and Gene Bertoncini a.o. as well as modern jazz influence, however, arrangements and interpretation are his own.

The music on the two mentioned CDs is a splendid example of the span of Jacob Fischer's musical universe and his capacity as a musician and guitarist, here exposed in a trio setting that shows off the best both in solo playing and support. Highly recommended!

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Jo

keepitswinging.domain@gmail.com  

Retrospect Keep Swinging (old) Oscar Aleman Choro Music Flexible Records Hit of the Week-Durium Friends of the Keep Swinging blog Keep Swinging Contributions