RENA RAMA – Live (Organic Music, 1983; rec. 1975)

 
Instrumental
International relevance: ***

Recorded with the second Rena Rama line-up with American Leroy Lowe on drums instead of Bengt Berger who left after their first album. Not released until 1983 on Urspår's sublabel Organic Music, but taped live at Stockholm's premiere jazz club Fasching one winter's evening in 1975. The other Rena Rama albums are mostly OK but not really top shelf material to my ears; it always sounds to me as if they hold something back. That's not the case here. Housed in a beautiful cover, ”Live” bursts with free jazz energy, especially Lennart Åberg who blows his saxophone harder than I think I've ever heard him blow before while Bobo Stenson attacks his piano with a fervour that from time to time makes me think of Cecil Taylor. Leroy Lowe is everywhere but bassist Palle Danielsson follows his every step. There's a sizzling energy even in the softer passages, as if they just wait for the next blowout that will come any moment. Some might think ”Live” is just a complement to the regular Rena Rama albums, but I think this is their absolutely finest moment on record. Essential!

Full album playlist

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

RENA RAMA – The 1970's albums

Rena Rama were founded in 1971 by drummer Bengt Berger, bassist Palle Danielsson and pianist Bobo Stenson. Soon after, saxophonist Lennart Åberg joined. The newly formed band did a session for Swedish television, and toured in Germany in 1972. The following year they received Rikskonserter's yearly Jazz i Sverige (”jazz in Sweden”) award, and as a result they released their first album ”Jazz i Sverige '73”. Rena Rama was influenced by Indian and African music and their initial music may be described as a kind of 'world jazz'.

Jazz i Sverige '73 (Caprice, 1973)

Instrumental

International relevance: **

Everything is right about ”Jazz i Sverige '73”, the intentions, the musicians, their skills, their outlook on music, but somehow the album just don't take off. It sounds like a collection of great ideas they never manage to quite set into motion. The music often sounds forced, as if Rena Rama try hard to push it forward to where they want it, to a point where it takes on a life of its own, but it never really happens. ”Jazz i Sverige '73” is a rare example of a Bengt Berger driven album that doesn't fulfill its potential.

Landscapes (Japo, 1977)

Instrumental

International relevance: **

In 1975, Bengt Berger left the band and was replaced by American born drummer Leroy Lowe who had played with trombonist Eje Thelin prior to Rena Rama. He has a lighter touch on ”Landscapes” than Berger had on ”Jazz i Sverige '73” which makes for a smoother running albeit less 'ethnic' sounding music where Palle Danielsson in particular seems to be more at ease – his elevated ”Rumanian Folk Song” is the best moment on here. ”Landscapes” reaches further than Rena Rama's debut but still isn't quite there. 

 
Inside-Outside (Caprice, 1979)
Instrumental
International relevance: **

In 1979 Rena Rama was back with Caprice for an album that moves between the obvious traditional influences of the first album and the more straight ahead jazz of ”Landscapes”. It's all well played but not too inspiring.

Rena Rama existed for a long time still with a couple of line-up changes, and released a few more albums. A 1975 live recording with Leroy Lowe on drums was released in 1983, simply entitled ”Live”.

Rena Rama full album playlist

From Landscapes:

"Romanian Folk Song"

"Royal Song from Dahomey"
From Inside-Outside:

På hal is 

Lisas piano 

Banguana Song 

Inside-Outside