A VARIOUS ARTISTS SPECIAL – 3 jazz compilations

Featured artists: Kustbandet / Arbete Och Fritid

Club Jazz 6 (SR, 1972)

Instrumental

International relevance: ***

”Club Jazz” was a series of nine volumes of radio recordings released on Swedish Radio's own imprint SR Records from 1970 to 1974, a jazz equivalent of sorts to the early 80's ”Tonkraft – Levande musik från Sverige” series. The featured artists were either given a full album or one LP side each, and the series captures performers such as Eje Thelin, Stefan Abeleen with Lasse Färnlöf, Opposite Corner and vocalist Nannie Porres. The most interesting volume from a progg perspective is also the one with the most bizarre coupling. The sixth installment has one side of Kustbandet's uninteresting trad jazz and the second one dedicated to Arbete & Fritid. The Arbete & Fritid part is Ove Karlsson's fantastic 20 minute track ”Ostpusten-Västpusten” in its entirety, recorded at Uppsala Stadsteater in April 1972. It's Arbete & Fritid at their gorgeous best, and thankfully the track was resurrected as a bonus track on the CD reissue of their third album making it easier to obtain (and easier to avoid Kustbandet).

Jazz från det svenska 70-talet (Caprice, 1974)
Featured artists: Kustbandet / Jazz Doctors / Rolf Larsson & Jack Lidström Dixieband / Ove Linds Kvartett / Björn Milder / Umeå Big Band with Benny Bailey / Peps Blues Band / Gugge Hedrenius Big Blues Band / Lars Gullins Kvintett / Nisse Sandströms Kvartett / Lasse Werner och hans vänner / Nannie Porres Kvintett / Stefan Abeleens Kvintett / Arbe Domnérus Kvintett med Rune Gustafsson / Arbete & Fritid / Bernt Rosengrens Kvartett / Rena Rama / Egba

International relevance: **

Instrumental, English vocals

The title means ”Jazz from the Swedish 70's” and features a wide stylistic range, from the blues of Peps Persson to the fusion of Egba, from the dixieland stomp of Kustbandet to the post bop of Bernt Rosengrens Kvartett. So it serves its purpose of being a non-discriminating catalogue of contemporary jazz but it's also an incredibly frustrating spin if you listen to it all way through. But with such an array of styles, there are of course worthwhile moments. Fans of vocal jazz should be delighted by Nannie Porres's take on ”Willow Weep for Me” – after all, she's the second finest Swedish jazz vocalist after Monica Zetterlund. The contribution from the aforementioned quartet led by Bernt Rosengren is good and lively. Rena Rama makes one of their best vinyl appearances with ”Daisy Lee McGhee” – probably the best selection on the album, and better than Arbete & Fritid's bluesy but unsatisfying ”En solig dag på landet/The Big Bad Bag of Baba-Louie”.

Det nyJAZZte från Göteborg (Caprice, 1977)
Featured artists: Mount Everest / Opposite Corner / Mwendo Dawa / Soffgruppen

Instrumental

International relevance: **

Another Caprice Records release, this time showcasing the talents of the mid 70's Gothenburg jazz and improvisation scene. Mount Everest (as a trio) has a great Coltrane fuelled medley of ”Black Snow” and ”Sherpa Dance”, Mwendo Dawa is a little too close to fusion for my comfort, Opposite Corner is good, while Soffgruppen isn't quite as great as on their album.

Arbete & Fritid - Ostpusten-västpusten
Jazz från det svenska 70-talet full album playlist
Mwendo Dawa - Microsvit

Opposite Corner - Love Song

MOUNT EVEREST – The 1970's albums

Mount Everest was one of the most important bands to grow out of the fertile jazz and improvisation soil of Gothenburg, formed by the marvellous saxophonist Gilbert Holmström who also was the only constant all through Mount Everest's everchanging line-up.

Mount Everest (Philips, 1972)

Instrumental, English vocals
International relevance: ***

At the time of Mount Everest's maiden work they were eight people which perhaps suggests it's a wild and expressionistic affair. But it's actually a comparatively reflective and withheld effort, slightly in the vein of the first Egba album. The method of harnessed energy creates some tension, but some tracks feel out of place. ”Torero” sounds as if it belonged to another album altogether, and the last two, ”Afrodolphia” and ”No Other Choice” (the only vocal track) feels more like session outtakes than an integrated part of the album.

Waves from Albert Ayler (LIM, 1975)

as Mount Everest Trio
Instrumental

International relevance: ***

Three years later and Mount Everest was a trio with Holmström on sax, Kjell Jansson on bass and Conny Sjökvist on drums. The album title is appropriate – although only ”Spirits” is an Ayler composition, the entire album is in the spirit of the free jazz pioneer. Only ”Orinoco” and ”Elf” take it down a bit, the rest is powerful and violent free jazz with especially Holmström and Sjökvist in good shape. Fewer musicians work up a higher energy level on an album that is much better than their debut.

The album was reissued with bonus tracks by Atavistic in 2000.

Jazz i Sverige '79 (Caprice, 1979)

Instrumental
International relevance: ***

In 1979, the trio turned into a quartet and was awarded 'best jazz group of the year' why they were that year's installation in Caprice's ”Jazz i Sverige” (”jazz in Sweden”) series. Again they had a new line-up, this time a quartet including piano. Unfortunately they also swung towards fusion and that seriously diminished the music's impact. The most imaginative track is ”African Daybreak”, but even that is far from Mount Everest at their best.

The 70's Mount Everest can also be heard on various artists comps "Tonkraft 1972-74", "Det nyJAZZte från Göteborg" (1972), and "LIM – Levande improviserad musik från Göteborg" (1975). They released two further full length albums on Four Leaf imprint in 1981 and 1983 respectively, "Latin Doll" and "Latin Blue".

from Mount Everest

Mind at Ease

Waves From Albert Ayler full album playlist

Jazz i Sverige full album playlist