Note: "Gånglek från Älvdalen (Live)" is not available for streaming. To enjoy the track in its entirety, visit the Qobuz download store.
An ambassador for a European jazz scene that is perpetually full of life, ACT has always closely followed the Nordic jazz scene. Founded by Siggi Loch in 1992, the label quickly came to grasp the importance of musicians from the frozen north, and especially the vast stylistic palette they offer. Created exclusively for Qobuz, Scandi Jazz offers a gorgeous panorama of these artists and their eclectic output. This compilation even opens with a new number, Gånglek från Älvdalen, a perky folk theme performed as a duet by Swedish trombonist Nils Landgren and fellow pianist Jan Lundgren, and closes with the label's star band, e. s. t., the influential trio of the late pianist Esbjörn Svensson. They cover a lot of ground, just like all the guests at this Nordic feast, who take in post-bop, jazz fusion, folk music, European jazz, neo-classical and even rock, as on the furious Light a Fire Fight a Liar by the Norwegian saxophonist Tore Brunborg and his compatriot guitarist Eivind Aarset. Here, international stars like the Norwegian pianist Bugge Wesseltoft (with a magnificent solo on Salme, a piece by the 19th century Danish classical composer Christoph Ernst Friedrich Weyse) and the Swedish double bassist Lars Danielsson (with Tigran Hamasyan making a guest appearance!) rub shoulders with inspiring musicians such as the Finnish jazz star Iiro Rantala or the great Danish pianist Carsten Dahl, who are less well know around Europe. Finally, to truly cover every last corner of this vast scene, Scandi Jazz gives pride of place to singers like the Norwegian Solveig Slettahjell, the Danes Janne Mark and Caecilie Norby, and the Swedes Ida Sand and Viktoria Tolstoy. This compilation, full of poetry and madness alike, ends with swing, but also with food for thought and a desire to discover a little more of the work of all the participants. © Marc Zisman/Qobuz