“Zonk” is Kjell Jansson’s fourth album as leader, and consists of nine original compositions and Vernon Duke’s "I Can’t Get Started." It was recorded August, 2002 in concert at the Gerlesborg School of Fine Arts. The music is cleanly articulated but not without spontaneity or passion, and Jansson and his mates comprise a talented post-bop unit that acquits itself well on every number. Jansson’s compositions are more than window-dressing, serving as provocative springboards for lively and rewarding improvisation by each member of the group. There’s humor too, as on "Ant Steps," which Jansson describes as "an abbreviation of Coltrane’s ‘Giant Steps’." Tenor saxophonist Gilbert Holmström sits in for Trane. Holmström and drummer Rune Carlsson take a coffee break on "I Can’t Get Started" and "In the Shadow," a tribute to Duke Ellington’s legendary bassist Jimmy Blanton, where pianist Tommy Kotter plays counterpoint to Jansson’s resonant arco bass. Kjell says "I Can’t Get Started" has been a favorite song of his since he heard it performed by Charles Mingus. "Zonk" is a sixteen-bar blues theme, "Italian Wood" a groover whose title acknowledges its resemblance to the Beatles’ "Norwegian Wood." Jansson wrote the lovely "Morgon" (Morning), introduced by Kotter’s expressive piano, as an homage to nature; the groovy "Movin’ East" denotes the quartet’s move from its home in Gothenburg to a more rural location nearby. "Bassistic" is a thirty-two-bar blues composed from the bass rather than the piano, "For My Lady" an ardent love song to Jansson’s wife of more than thirty years. The quartet earns high marks for resourcefulness and craftsmanship, the album for its excellent sound and generous playing time. This is on a par with much of the contemporary small-group music being played in this country. ~ Extract by Jack Bowers, AAJ.
Dragon Records, DRCD 384, 2002
Recorded 24th & 25th
August, 2002 Live at the Gerlesborg School of Fine Arts, Sweden
Musicians:
Kjell Jansson - Bass,
Composer, Arranger
Gilbert Holmström - Tenor Sax
(#1-3, 5-7,9,10)
Tommy Kotter - Piano
Rune Carlsson - Drums
(#1-3,5-7,9,10)
Tracks:
01. Zonk {Kjell Jansson}
(9:26)
02. Italian Wood {Kjell
Jansson} (4:57)
03. The Pearl {Kjell Jansson}
(7:19)
04. In The Shadow {Kjell
Jansson} (2:21)
05. Ant Steps {Kjell Jansson}
(5:18)
06. Morgon [Morning] {Kjell
Jansson} (7:39)
07. Movin' East {Kjell
Jansson} (8:03)
08. I Can't Get Started
{Vernon Duke} (4:04)
09. Bassistic {Kjell Jansson}
(7:49)
10. For My Lady {Kjell
Jansson} (7:26)
Total Time: 64:25
Credits:
Producer, Mixing, Liner Notes
- Kjell Jansson
Executive-Producer - Leif
Collin
Engineer, Mixing - Åke Linton
Digital Mastering - Kenneth
Svensson [Digitalfabriken]
Photography - Rolf Ohlson
Liner Notes [Translation] -
Dave Castle
