This came out in 2002 – or at least that’s when I got it. Here’s what I said about it back then (with some minor editing):
Maybe it’s because most of the big-name pop and rock acts are hibernating. Maybe it’s because I spent the last month swinging to the Rat Pack Christmas album. Or maybe it’s just because they both start with the letters J and A. Whatever. All I know is I always seem to listen to a lot of jazz in January. Looks like this year is no exception — thanks mainly to a cornucopia of cool titles that landed in stores before the holidays. At least four respected labels — Blue Note, ECM, Impulse and Verve — have impressive and affordable new retrospectives or reissues on the racks right now. Even if you don’t know be-bop from doo-wop, I suggest you give one or two a try. Here’s a little primer to help you get into the swing on Bobo Stenson:
WHO: Stenson is Sweden’s most famous and acclaimed modern-jazz pianist. This is a more impressive achievement than it sounds like. Really.
WHEN: Stenson has been performing and recording since the ’60s, though he mainly works as a sideman and has only put out a handful of solo albums in the past three decades.
WHAT YOU GET: A handful of graceful, low-impact free-jazz from his various albums, along with tracks featuring frequent collaborators such as sax player Jan Garbarek and legendary trumpeter Don Cherry.
WHERE HE FITS IN: As a reminder that jazz is not strictly a North American phenomenon.
