Jørgen Ryg Jazz Quartet

Jørgen Ryg, Danish jazz trumpeter, comedian and actor (August 11, 1927 - August 28, 1981) started out as a jazz musician but in the 60's his huge succes as a comedy act turned his career away from music. In the 60's and 70's he had great succes on stage and screen as an often grumpy or alcoholic character, but occasionally he performed in dramatic roles to great acclaim. After his rise to fame as a comedian, ironically his jazz trumpet recordings have been compiled and released. *microgroove.jp*

For almost a decade Sweden's musicians have enjoyed a mental monopoly among American jazz fans as the foremost European purveyors of modern jazz. The time has come to remind the listener that just across the water from Sweden's southwestern extremity lies a little peninsula that has been far from idle in its rhythmic development. Danish jazz, too, must be counted among the Continent's contributions.

Older fans need hardly be reminded that one of the greatest jazz violinists of jazz history was Svend Asmussen, a phenomenon of the late '30s and still active in his homeland. More recently U.S. artists visiting Scandinavia have found that in addition to the expected complement of Swedish swingsters there is a growing coterie of Danes given to expressing themselves in the modern idiom. Notable among them have been the baritone saxophonist Max Brüel and the trumpeter Jørgen Ryg.

Jørgen, who normally spells his first name with one of those Danish pierced o's that look like satellites in orbit, is a musician, an actor and an artist. Born August 11, 1927, he did not get his first trumpet until ten years ago and had no real experience with it until two years later when, drafted, he earned his primary musical education in an army band.

For several years Jørgen has been gigging, often in the company of the above-cited Mr. Brüel; he was a member of the quintet that represented Danish jazz at an international festival held in June 1954 in Paris. In September of that year he made his record debut, cutting the first four tunes heard on the A side of this LP. The next four numbers were cut the following March and the final four in November 1955, all in Copenhagen.

Jørgen names Bobby Hackett among his favorite musicians and chief influences, though it is immediately evident that such modernists as Miles Davis, Fats Navarro and Chet Baker, whose recordings he has studied extensively, have also made a deep impression.

Accompanying him on these sides are Jørgen Lausen, piano; William Schiöpffe, drums, and Erik Moseholm, bass (on the last session Atli Bjørn replaced Lausen). 

The moral that emerges from a hearing of these sides is sharply evident: give all the Swedes the credit they deserve, but don't depreciate those Danes! *Leonard Feather (liner notes)*

Side 1

1 - I Didn't Know

(J. Ryg)

2 - Chloe

(Kahn, Moret)

3 - Gillchrist

(J. Ryg)

4 - Ain't Misbehavin'

(F. Waller, Razaf, Brooks)

5 - Orangutango

(Lausen, Ryg)

6 - Autumn Leaves

(Kosma, Mercer)

Side 2

7 - Mean To Me

(Turk, Ahlert)

8 - Serenade T.D.P.J.I.H.M.

(J. Ryg)

9 - El Domingo

(J. Ryg)

10 - Our Love Is Here To Stay

(G. and I. Gershwin)

11 - Whispering

(Schonberger, Coburn, Rose)

12 - Polka Dots And Moonbeams

(Van Heusen, Burke)

Jørgen Ryg (trumpet); Jørgen Lausen [#1 to #6, #8, #10], Atli Bjørn [#7, #9, #11, #12] (pianos); Erik Moseholm (bass); William Schiöpffe (drums).

Recorded in Copenhagen, Denmark, September 1954 (#1 to #4), March 21, 1955 (#6, #8), March 22, 1955 (#5, #10), November 1, 1955 (#7, #9, #11, #12).