Reinhold Svensson - New Sounds from Sweden

Reinhold Svensson Sextet   

New Sounds from Sweden • Volume 8

Reinhold Svensson (December 20, 1919 in Husum – November 23, 1968 in Stockholm) was a Swedish jazz pianist, Hammond organist and composer. Reinhold was blind and learned to play by ear.

Svensson recorded as a solo artist in 1941-1942, then joined the ensemble of violinist Hasse Kahn. In 1948, Putte Wickman took leadership of the group, and Svensson worked with it until 1960 as a performer, arranger, and composer.

Svensson appeared at the Paris Jazz Festival in 1949, worked with Arne Domnerus's orchestra, and played with Charlie Norman in 1950-1951 as a duo under the names Ralph & Bert Berg and the Olson Brothers. He also recorded with his own ensembles (including under the name Ragtime Reinhold); Domnerus, Jack Norén, Simon Brehm, and Thore Jederby were sidemen of his in the late 1940s and early 1950s. *wikipedia.org*

It wasn't long after Jazz was born that America's classical music made its way across the Atlantic to Europe, where perhaps no other country embraced Jazz so passionately and produced as many masterful advocates as Sweden. In the early '50s, when bop reigned supreme both here and abroad, Sweden was second only to the U.S. in the number and quality of musicians following the adventurous trail blazed by Bird, Diz, Bud Powell, Kenny Clarke and their colleagues It was a time of unparalleled enterprise and creativity, one that marked the emergence of a number of superior improvisers whose deference to America's magisterial boppers did not slacken their creative energy or suppress their resourcefulness. *Jack Bowers (allaboutjazz.com)*

New Sounds from Sweden • Volume 8 is one of a handful of early Prestige Records issues of Swedish modern jazz in the postwar years!  – a set that features Reinhold Svensson on piano, Rolf Berg on guitar, and Bo Kallstrom on vibes! Titles include "Tasty Pastry", "Top O' The Mornin'", "Blue Lou" and "Queen Of Saba" *Dusty Groove, Inc.*

Side 1

1 - Because Of George

(R. Svensson)

2 - Tasty Pastry

(R. Svensson)

3 - Bury Your Worries

(R. Svensson)

4 - Pin-Up

(R. Svensson)

Side 2

5 - Top O' The Mornin'

(R. Svensson)

6 - Blue Lou

(Sampson, Mills)

7 - Stealin' Apples

(Waller, Razaf)

8 - Queen Of Saba

(R. Svensson)

Reinhold Svensson (piano, harpsichord [#8]), Putte Wickman (clarinet),

Bo Kallstrom (vibes), Rolf Berg (guitar), Gunnar Almstedt (bass), Andrew Burman (drums).

Recorded at Radiotjänst (studio 2), Stockholm, Sweden,

September 10, 1952 (#1 and #2) and April 1, 1953 (#3 to #8)

Lars Gullin Quartet

One of the top baritone saxophonists of all time and a giant of European jazz, Lars Gullin would be better known today if he had visited the U.S. often and if excessive drug use had not cut short his career. Early on he learned to play bugle, clarinet, and piano, and was actually a professional altoist until switching to baritone when he was 21. Sounding somewhere between Gerry Mulligan and Serge Chaloff, Gullin played in local big bands in the late '40s and was in Arne Domnerus' sextet (1951-1953), but is best known for his own small-group recordings. He played with such touring Americans as Lee Konitz (a major influence), James Moody, Clifford Brown, Zoot Sims, and Chet Baker, and recorded frequently during 1951-1960, with "Danny's Dream" being his most famous composition.  *Scott Yanow*

Lars Gullin was one of the most famous baritone saxophonists from Sweden - actually he was elected the new star of the year (1954) by a board of critics, on baritone saxophone in the Down Beat Critics' Poll. Also, before the Critics' Poll, many US Jazz players who toured to North Europe noticed Lars Gullin's artistry - such musicians as Chet Baker, James Moody and Stan Getz played with Lars Gullin.

Like Gerry Mulligan, he doubles on baritone sax and piano. But of course his primary instrument is baritone sax. His tone is heart-warming as well as swingy - as Chet Baker recalled Lars in his late days: "... Lars played with a lot more fire and a lot more authority in some ways than Gerry did". *microgroove.jp*

Lars Gullin is one of the very few European jazz musicians who consistently appear on American all star polls. One of the reasons for this is that many European musicians imitate American styles and sounds rather than creating for themselves. 

Gullin is certainly an exception to this general rule. Now in his middle twenties, he has been playing baritone for a number of years, still keeping his hand in on the tenor which was his first instrument. Speaking as a musician, as well as a composer and arranger, Lars has long felt that the efforts during recent years to produce "new sounds" in jazz have resulted in many rather strained and unmusical recordings. 

He feels that this is so because arrangers and musicians have tried too hard to be original in their manner of writing and playing, instead of concentrating on what they are creating. As he says, what really has had any importance in "new sounds" has evolved from minds less concerned about the originality as such than about musical sincerity in exploring new tone colors in the jazz idiom. 

This is not to say, of course, that there is anything wrong with experimenting with different combinations of instruments. These sides, for example, feature an instrumentation which has probably never before been used on records — that is, the combination of guitar, baritone, bass nd drums. 

But what is most striking about this album is more than just the smooth and delicate sound that this unusual blend produces. It is most particularly the feeling of cohesion and continuity which is present in the inventive. writing, the closely integrated team work and the warm and intelligent solo work. This is jazz chamber music at its best.

It is with considerable pride, then, that EmArcy presents these examples of modern jazz, jazz without a foreign accent, but still freshly and beautifully Made in Sweden. *(Liner notes)*

Side 1

1 - Danny's Dream

2 - Be Careful

Side 2

3 - Igloo

4 - Circus

(All compositions by Lars Gullin)

Lars Gullin (baritone sax), Rolf Berg (guitar), George Riedel (bass), Robert Edman (drums).

Recorded at Europa-Film Studio, Stockholm, Sweden, May 25, 1954.

Leonard Feather's Swingin' Swedes - New Sounds From Sweden Vol.1

Almost all recordings in Sweden in the 1950s were issued on EPs, the little 7" 45rpm album. The leading record label was Metronome, which released about 500 albums during the decade, most of them jazz records.

In the 1950s Sweden was kind of the center of European jazz. Lots of gifted musicians had plenty of venues to play, and could make their living on jazz. Jazz was still the young people´s music, and there were huge and interested audiences. There were radio programs, special jazz magazines and also jazz features and reviews in weekly magazines and daily newspapers. And there were an abundance of jazz records.

Many Americans visited the country, played in concerts and clubs and made recordings with the domestic stars. The best Swedish musicians became wellknown over the jazz world.

First time Swedish jazz draw public attention abroad was at the jazz festival in Paris in 1949. A Swedish group with Arne Domnérus and Putte Wickman among others, made great success in several concerts and became one of the French public's favorites, despite competition from stars such as Charle Parker and Miles Davis.

The success led to magazine features and radio programs in both Europe and the United States. In USA, Leonard Feather started playing Swedish jazz records in his program "Jazz at its best", and other stations followed. Records from Metronome reviewed in the American jazz press.

Leonard Feather arranged recordings in Stockhom in 1951 with the young Swedish modernists. They were issued the same year in USA on this 10" LP (Prestige 119). In Sweden the recordings were issued on Cupol 78s. *birkajazz.se*

The eight performances on this record are the product of a trip made to Sweden to investigate the glowing reports I had heard about that country's modern jazz. 

Charlie Parker, Stan Getz, Roy Eldridge and many other visitors to Stockholm came home raving about the musicians presented here. 

All but one of the Swingin’ Swedes, by the way, were voted No. 1 on their respective instruments in the first national poll conducted by the Swedish jazz magazine ESTRAD.

Four of the numbers are played by a seven-piece band. This group gets a bigger and cleaner sound than most groups of its kind, thanks to the musicians' fine ensemble interpretation of four arrangements written by the brilliant Gösta Theselius, who won the ESTRAD award as top arranger.

Maybe these eight numbers will give you a pretty clear picture of why more and more people are agreeing that outside the U.S., Sweden is producing the best modern jazz to be heard anywhere. As they would say at Birdland: man, it's a crazy country! *Leonard Feather (liner notes)*

Side 1

1 - The Daring Young Swedes (On The Flying Trapeze)

(arr. Gösta Theselius)

2 - Moonlight Saving Time

(Kahal, Richman)

3 - Swedish Butterfly

(GöstaTheselius)

4 - Meet Me Tonight In Birdland

(Williams)

Side 2

5 - Rain On The Roof

(Ann Ronell)

6 - A Handful Of Stars

(Lawrence, Shapiro)

7 - The Swedish Music This Side Of Heaven

(Feather)

8 - September Serenade

(Dizzy Gillespie)

#2, #5:

Putte Wickman (clarinet), Reinhold Svensson (piano), Rolf Berg (guitar), Simon Brehm (bass), Jack Norén (drums).

#1, #6:

Rolf Ericson (trumpet), Arne Domnérus (alto sax), Lars Gullin (baritone sax), Reinhold Svensson (piano), Simon Brehm (bass), Jack Norén (drums).

Recorded in Stockholm, Sweden, June 28, 1951.

#3:

Rolf Ericson (trumpet), Arne Domnérus (alto sax), Carl-Henrik Norin (tenor sax), Lars Gullin (baritone sax), Bengt Hallberg (piano), Simon Brehm (bass), Jack Norén (drums).

#4:

Rolf Ericson (trumpet), Arne Domnérus (alto sax), Lars Gullin (baritone sax), Toots Thielemans (harmonica), Bengt Hallberg (piano), Simon Brehm (bass), Jack Norén (drums).

#7:

Åke Persson (trombone), Carl-Henrik Norin (tenor sax), Bengt Hallberg (piano), Simon Brehm (bass), Jack Norén (drums).

#8:

Rolf Ericson (trumpet), Åke Persson (trombone), Arne Domnérus (alto sax), Lars Gullin (baritone sax), Bengt Hallberg (piano), Simon Brehm (bass), Jack Norén (drums).

Recorded in Stockholm, Sweden, July 4, 1951.