Rare And Obscure Argo Recordings (XXX)

 Axel Ivar Rune Öfwerman was born on Christmas Eve in 1933 in a small village outside Stockholm called Vingaker. He started taking piano lessons at the age of six but lost interest after a couple of years. A few years later, he heard some boogie-woogie records and again became interested in the piano. During his college years in Stockholm he organized a band which soon became very popular. After his school years, Rune decided to become a professional musician.

Played with nearly all the modern jazz musicians in Scandinavia amongst them Rolf Ericson (1952), Carl-Henrik Norin (1954), Hacke Bjørksten (1956), Ove Lind (1957) and Lars Gullin. Became co-owner of the Gazell Record Company and supervised most of the sessions held for this label. 

As a pianist, he lists the late Nat "King" Cole and Clarence "Pinetop" Smith among his strongest influences.

Rune Öfwerman

Cool • Piano With Voices

Altough jazz has been appreciated and played in Europe almost as long as it has in America, it continually amazes one to discover another kindred talent from there. In the northern European or Scandinavian section, musicians of superior worth have been on the modern jazz scene almost from the very beginning. Till now, Bengt Hallberg and Rheinhold Svensson have been the outstanding Nordic pianists. With the emergence of Rune Öfwerman, the field now enlarges. 

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All in all, just from listening to these few offerings by Rune Öfwerman, it seems as though American pianists now have a new talent with which to contend. So also do the pop composers, for Rune's bossa novas are very beautiful, and his "Bobsled" and "M-83" are unusual and interesting. Yes, talented and versatile Rune Öfwerman should be highly successful in the music business, for, as the title of this album indicates, he is very "COOL"! *Joe Segal (liner notes)*

A strange one for Argo, and certainly not in keeping with their usual soul jazz roster of recordings — but also a cool moody session recorded in Scandinavia, and which features the icy piano of Rune Öfwerman, backed by a chorus of voices, for a floating dreamy sound that slightly hints at the Singers Unlimited, and other European vocal groups from the 60s. Titles include "Mellow Cool", "Bossa Nova Sueca", "Ortego Bossa Nova", and "M-83".  *Dusty Groove, Inc.*

Side 1

1 - Whatcha Gonna Do

(Nat "King" Cole)

2 - Amen

(Donald Byrd)

3 - Bobsled

(Rune Öfwerman)

4 - Gospel Walk

(Rune Öfwerman)

5 - Mellow Cool

(Åke Hallgren)

6 - Helen's Theme

(George Riedel)

Side 2

7 - Bossa Nova Sueca

(Rune Öfwerman)

8 - M-83

(Rune Öfwerman)

9 - The Man From Potter's Crossing

(Jimmy Woode)

10 - Ortego Bossa Nova

(Rune Öfwerman)

11 - King's Men

(Rune Öfwerman)

#1 to #6:

Rune Öfwerman (piano), Erik Moseholm (bass), Nils-Bertil Dahlander (drums),

Allan Botschinsky (trumpet #2),  Rolf Billberg (alto sax #2),

unidentified vocal choir directed by Gunnar Lunden-Welden.

Recorded in Copenhagen, Denmark, January 17, 1961

#7, #8, #10:

Rune Öfwerman (piano), Sture Nordin (bass), Egil Johansen (drums),

Rune Gustafsson (guitar #7),  Bjarne Nerem (latin rhythm #7).

Recored in Stockholm, Sweden, November 21, 1961

#9, #11:

Rune Öfwerman (piano), Jimmy Woode (bass), Art Taylor (drums).

Recorded at Europa Film AB, Stockholm, Sweden, February 15, 1961

Max Brüel - Cool architect and jazz aesthete

Danish architect Max Brüel (born July 14, 1927 in Hillerød, Denmark and died March 31, 1995 in Algarve, Portugal) was a versatile artistic talent who, in addition to his career in architecture, also worked as a designer, ceramicist and jazz musician. He studied architecture at the Royal Danish Academy of Arts in the 1940s and won his first architectural competition already during his studies. Around the same time, he also began his career as a musician – Brüel later gained a reputation as an internationally acclaimed jazz pianist and saxophonist. Brüel's best-known building is perhaps the Herlev Hospital in Copenhagen.

Brüel is unique among Danish, if not Euopean musicians in that he was brought up with and even encouraged to play jazz during his childhood. He started playing the piano, then took up alto saxophone. The alto was dismissed in favour of baritone in 1951 after Lars Gullin's playing had opened his ears to the possibilities of that virile sounding instrument.

Brüel was a friend and fervent admirer of Lee Konitz. Among modern baritones he preferred Lars Gullin, but considered Harry Carney the greatest exponent of the instrument.

Max Brüel Quartette

Cool Bruel

During the last four or five years Danish jazz has been dominated by the outstanding work of two young and talented soloists, baritone saxophonist Max Brüel and trumpeter Jørgen Ryg.

Born July 14, 1927, Max Brüel was playing jazz on a set of his father's homemade drums back in the early thirties, and as a child used to sit and listen to jazz dates when his parents played with other professional musicians. Brüel played a variety of instruments including the piano, a special instrument constructed by his father named the "bambaphone" and the alto sax before he decided, five years ago, to make the baritone sax his main musical instrument.

In direct contrast, Jørgen Ryg was seventeen years old before he started paracticing on his first instrument, the trumpet. Ryg has been playing trumpet ever since he became interested in music.

Since 1951 Brüel has been considered the leading Danish jazz soloist, and while living in Stockholm during the winter of 1952-53 he attracted the attention of Swedish musicians and critics. He became known in even wider circles when in June 1954 he played with a quintet at the "Salon du Jazz", the international jazz festival in Paris. Jørgen Ryg also represented Denmark at this festival.

Max Brüel cut his first records in 1950 and since then has been recorded in both Denmark and Sweden. Even though he has had considerable success as a jazz musician he does not devote his entire time to playing jazz. He is an architect by trade and this still remains his vocation. Brüel's preferences in musicians go to Lennie Tristano, Lee Konitz and Lars Gullin.

*Erik Wiedemann (liner notes)*

Max Brüel (1927-1995), spelled as "Bruel" on this LP, was one of the famous Danish baritone sax players, although there were few in the country. On this LP (originally recorded by Swedish Metronome label), Max Brüel plays his baritone in soft, moody and relaxed moods while at the same time the sound is rather swingy. B-1, B-2, B-3 (#5, #6, #7) features Jørgen Ryg on trumpet, who plays refreshing solos. *microgroove.jp*

One of Emarcy's excellent American releases of work by Swedish modernists of the 50s – in this case the quartet of Max Brüel, featuring Brüel on baritone, Bent Axen on piano, Jørgen Ryg on trumpet, Leif Sjöberg on bass, and William Schiöpffe on drums. Bruel's got a tone that recalls a lot of Lars Gullin's playing at the time – and titles include "Garlic Wafer", "Mao Tse Tsonga", "Fine & Dandy", "Maxisme", and "Non Descript".  *dustygroove.com*

Side 1

1 - These Foolish Things

(Marvell, Link, Strachey)

2 - Maxisme

(Brüel)

3 - Non Descript

(Brüel, Axen)

4 - Lover Man

(Davis, Ramirez, Sherman)

Side 2

5 - Indiana

(McDonald, Hanley)

6 - Fine And Dandy

(Swift, James)

7 - Coop De Graas

 (Shorty Rogers)

8 - Garlic Wafer

(Brüel, Axen)

9 - Mao-Tse-Tsonga

(Brüel, Axen)

Max Brüel (baritone sax); Jørgen Ryg (trumpet #5, #6, #7); Bent Axen (piano [#1 to #4, #8, #9]); Erik Moseholm [#1 to #4, #8, #9], Leif Sjöberg [#5, #6, #7] (basses), William Schiöpffe (drums).

Recorded in Copenhagen, Denmark , March 15 (#1, #3, #4, #8), March 20 (#2, #9) and April 12 (#5, #6, #7), 1955.

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).