Review from All About Jazz (by Jack Bowers):
In reviewing an earlier album by Swedish pianist Jan Lundgren (Bird of Passage, Four Leaf Clover), I wrote that "he has, among other things, exquisite taste, marvelous touch, flawless technique, an attentive ear, power to spare... and a bounteous wellspring of creative ideas." Listeners should be pleased to learn that nothing has changed.
Well, one thing has changed — the music itself. Rather than playing mostly his own compositions, as he did on Passage and the more recent For Listeners Only (Sittel 9273), or Swedish folk music, as on Landscapes (Sittel 9297), Lundgren has chosen to reprise songs by the renowned Broadway/Hollywood tunesmith Jule Styne whose body of work includes such memorable themes as "Make Someone Happy," "People," "The Party's Over," "Time After Time" and many others. Lundgren has also enlarged the trio on half a dozen numbers, inviting vocalists Caecilie Norby ("Make Someone Happy," "The Party's Over") and Mark Murphy ("What Makes the Sunset," "The Things We Did Last Summer") and tenor saxophonist Eric Alexander ("It's You or No One," "Guess I'll Hang My Tears Out to Dry") to help enliven the session. Why he found it necessary to do so is anyone's guess, but Alexander's fiery commentary is welcome in any framework, no questions asked, and he burns some serious rubber on "It's You or No One."
The trio sans guests opens with "You Say You Care" and "People," closes with "Time After Time" and "I Fall in Love Too Easily" and is heard as well on "Dance Only with Me." Lundgren, bassist Mattias Svensson and drummer Morten Lund are fastened at the hips, Lundgren solos astutely on every number, and Svensson and Lund respond emphatically whenever their names are called. While Norby and Murphy are, to me, the shaky links in the chain, those who appreciate vocals more than I may see that quite differently.
In any event, Lundgren, his capable colleagues and Alexander's impassioned tenor make the album well worth one's consideration, as do the wonderful songs by the great Jule Styne.
https://www.allaboutjazz.com/plays-the-music-of-jule-styne-jan-lundgren-sittel-records-review-by-jack-bowers
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Resena de All About Jazz (por Jack Bowers):
Al resenar un album anterior del pianista sueco Jan Lundgren (Bird of Passage, Four Leaf Clover), escribi que "tiene, entre otras cosas, gusto exquisito, toque maravilloso, tecnica impecable, un oido atento, potencia de sobra... y un manantial generoso de ideas creativas." Los oyentes se alegraran de saber que nada ha cambiado.
Bueno, una cosa si ha cambiado: la musica en si. En lugar de tocar principalmente sus propias composiciones, como hizo en Passage y en el mas reciente For Listeners Only (Sittel 9273), o musica folclorica sueca, como en Landscapes (Sittel 9297), Lundgren ha elegido revisitar canciones del renombrado compositor de Broadway/Hollywood Jule Styne, cuya obra incluye temas tan memorables como "Make Someone Happy," "People," "The Party's Over," "Time After Time" y muchos otros. Lundgren tambien ha ampliado el trio en media docena de temas, invitando a las vocalistas Caecilie Norby ("Make Someone Happy," "The Party's Over") y Mark Murphy ("What Makes the Sunset," "The Things We Did Last Summer") y al saxofonista tenor Eric Alexander ("It's You or No One," "Guess I'll Hang My Tears Out to Dry") para animar la sesion. Por que considero necesario hacerlo es una incognita, pero el ardiente comentario de Alexander es bienvenido en cualquier contexto, sin preguntas, y deja huella en serio en "It's You or No One."
El trio sin invitados abre con "You Say You Care" y "People," cierra con "Time After Time" e "I Fall in Love Too Easily" y se escucha tambien en "Dance Only with Me." Lundgren, el bajista Mattias Svensson y el baterista Morten Lund van perfectamente compenetrados, Lundgren improvisa con perspicacia en cada tema, y Svensson y Lund responden con enfasis cuando se los llama. Si bien Norby y Murphy son, para mi, los eslabones mas debiles de la cadena, quienes aprecian las voces mas que yo pueden verlo de manera muy diferente.
En cualquier caso, Lundgren, sus capaces colegas y el apasionado tenor de Alexander hacen que el album valga la pena, al igual que las maravillosas canciones del gran Jule Styne.
https://www.allaboutjazz.com/plays-the-music-of-jule-styne-jan-lundgren-sittel-records-review-by-jack-bowers


