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Latin from the North
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SLAMCD317
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"infectious and uplifting pieces that mix fine ensemble work with shapely, melodic soloing from all concerned" Paul Donnelly, ejazznews.com ‘the end product is really lively and enjoyable… and a number from the Buena Vista Social Club repertoire, in which trumpeter Steve Waterman catches the Cuban style to perfection.’ Dave Gelly, The Observer, 7 September 2003
Jazz Views Magazine Best 10 CDs of the Year, 2004 (Latin From the North)
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"Latin From The North"
Steve Waterman trumpet, flugelhorn. George Haslam baritone sax.
Mads Kjølby Olesen guitar. Steve Kershaw double bass. Robin Jones congas. Petter Svärd drums.
Recorded Coldroom Studios, Oxford, England. 17 April 2003. SLAMCD 317
Recorded and mixed by Matt Culpepper. Mastered by Tim Turan.
TRACKS:
1. MambluesCal Tjader 6min.02sec
2. Retrato Em Branco E Preto Jobim/Buarque4 52
3. Just a FewShorty Rogers 6 43
4. Nowhere To Go Steve Waterman10 13
5. Matusalem Mads Kjølby Olesen 8 20
6. Tangerine Mercer/Schertzinger 6 03
7. Bebe Hermeto Pascual 9 10
8. Da Camino Da La Vereda Ibrahim Ferrer 4 56
Cadence, New York. January 2004 |
There’s no more convincing evidence of the worldwide influence of Latin music than the circumstance of ‘Latin from the North’s recording. The engagement itself was an instance of serendipity, as are many of Jazz’s coming-togethers. The meeting of British and Scandinavian minds was one of those occasions where such an unlikely aggregation begged to be recorded so that it could be documented for posterity. The set-up for the recording was the opportunity for the British Latin band (no contradiction in terms there), the Plaza Jazz Trio, to perform with the Scandinavian trio called Stekpanna when they showed up for a jazz festival in the tundra of Finland. The result was a mixing of the Swedish stringed trio with a British one that features horns. And so the doubling of personnel involved not duplication, but geometric expansion as the group attained a sound larger than the sum of the parts its members played. The most characteristic instrument of the group is George Haslam’s baritone sax, its gravely presence colouring each of the tunes with lower-register richness and sometimes humour as well. Steve Waterman’s trumpet adds character to some of the tracks, especially Shorty Roger’s "Just A Few", which Latin From The North, along with the rhythm section, convert from a light rumba to a unrestrained swing in straight four. Fairly discriminating in their preference for Latin music, the combined band brings to life some of the less familiar Latin tunes, like Cal Tjader’s "Mamblues", Hermeto Pascoal’s "Bébé" or Antonio Carlos Jobim’s "Retrato em Branco e Preto". Beyond the melodic component of the music, though, drummer Petter Svãrd and percussionist Robin Jones nail the rhythms that characterise the music, especially considering the fact that many of the tunes are performed within a narrow tonal range associated with Belgian melodies, implying rather than stating the underlying percussiveness. Waterman and Olesen contribute two of the tunes as well, "Nowhere to Go" and "Matusalem", which respectively offer an aspiring 6/8 swirl and a lilting Brazilian samba.
Bill Donaldson
Latin from the North SLAMCD 317 Two Northern Latin jazz trios joined forces for this project: the Plaza Jazz Trio from England (Steve Waterman on trumpet, George Haslam on baritone sax, Robin Jones on congas) and the Anglo-Scandinavian trio Stekpanna (Mads Kjølby Olesen on guitars, Steve Kershaw on bass, and Petter Svärd on drums). Their album resolves a number of paradoxes with style, such as how can Northern musicians warm up playing Latin music without cooling the music down? By putting virtuosity, heart, and grace into their playing, that¹s how! The track list finds a compromise between originals - Nowhere to Go by Waterman and Matusalem by Olesen -, jazz standards, and Latin standards. Luckily, the instrumentation of both trios is complementary. It results in a rich, varied sound. The rhythm section is warm and fluid in the spirit of a true Cuban band (instead of that rigid, overemphasized groove Northerners often impose on such music). It gives Hermeto Pascoal’s Bébé a seductive power. The same applies to Ibrahim Ferrer’s De Camino a la Vereda. Waterman¹s jazzier contribution brings a nice change of pace and a welcome feature for the congas. The group extracts from Just a Few a samba that wasn¹t there (and it works very nicely) and give Mamblues a swinging feel out of nowhere -- that¹s called playing tricks on the distinction between North and South. The delivery of the whole set is light and comfortable. It may surprise fans of George Haslam and his label SLAM - this is pretty straightforward music compared to his Anglo-Argentine Jazz Quartet. Francois Couture, All-Music Guide
Jazz Journal, October 2003
Warerman, Slam label-owner Haslam and Jones form the Plaza Jazz Trio, recently returned from working in Cuba with members of Irakere and the Buena Vista Social Club. Oleson, Kershaw and Svård are Stekpanna, a cool Anglo-Scadinavian trio. The two groups have, as they say, a history together, and after playing together at the Kaamosjass Festival in Finnish Lapland, they recorded this delightful set in less-than-Latin Oxford. Their respective strengths are revealed by the cool slink through Olesen’s Matusalem and the rhythmic kick behind Shorty Rogers’ Just a Few, reworked as a fiery samba. Throughout, Waterman’s fluid trumpet, Olesen’s understated guitar lines, and Haslam’s dirty-voiced baritone – a reminder that Latin music is above all sensual – are well supported by a supple and infectious rhythm section. Their choice of material is arresting: Cal Tjader’s mambo Mamblues, Jobim’s lesser known bossa nova Retrato, Hermeta Pascoal’s classic baiaõ Bébé and Ibrahim Ferrer’s Buena Vista staple De Camino alongside two originals from Waterman (Nowhere To Go) and Olesen, the Rogers piece, and Johnny Mercer’s Tangerine. What makes this all hang together so well is the obvious delight the musicians took in working with each other and playing this material, and the way they relax into each piece without grandstanding or selfishness. Great fun, and much recommended.
Simon Adams
CD Reviews: LATIN FROM THE NORTH : Plaza Jazz Trio/Stekpanna (SLAM CD 317)
Posted by: Adminon Sunday, July 20, 2003 - 07:25 AM | |
By Paul Donnelly, ejazznews.com
First of all I need to explain that this is, in fact, one band though they have no collective name so I’ve billed it as two. It is a superb collaboration featuring the Brit trio of George Haslam, Robin Jones & Steve Waterman on sax, congas and trumpet/flugelhorn respectively. Stekpanna are an Anglo-Scandinavian trio consisting of Mads Kjolby Olesen, Steve Kershaw & Petter Svard who utilise guitar, bass and drums. What unites these guys from cold climes is a love of Latin tunes and rhythms and, obviously, the kind of musicianship that delivers them with verve and panache. They kick off with a bustling version of Cal Tjader’s ‘Mamblues’ featuring the muscular horns and warm fluent guitar in various solo outings. I have to say too that Haslam’s rich, sinuous baritone is one of my favourite sounds in contemporary jazz and it’s great to hear him trade licks with Waterman’s trumpet. Hear him too on the Waterman original, ‘Nowhere To Go’ where his playing is eloquent, powerful but controlled. They’ve also unearthed a Jobim piece which I’ve not heard before. ‘Retrato em Branco e Preto starts with the sound of the berimbau and shifts easily into a mellow bossa nova groove suggesting an ambience of rum and Havana cigars. Olesen switches to acoustic guitar and contributes a cool and effortless solo. On the subject of rum and Nordic guitarists there is also a celebration of Cuban rum in ‘Matusalem’ written by Olesen. His melodic solo lines and crisp chords ring out over the steady percussion and Kershaw’s bass solo is inventive and flexible. Definitely intoxicating. Not surprisingly perhaps they’ve included a couple of Cuban compositions from Hermeto Pascoal and Ibrahim Ferrer, the former’s ‘ Bebe’ raising the tempo a little and bringing out passionate soloing all round. Ferrer’s tune ‘De Camino a la Vereda’ is straight from the Buena Vista repertoire and lifts the spirits with its simple, joyful tune and rhythms. Apart from Latin compositions they borrow some classics from the jazz tradition. ‘Tangerine’, for example, is transformed into a slow mambo introduced by cool flugelhorn before that throaty and sensuous baritone sax digs in for some concise improvisations. This is a set of infectious and uplifting pieces that mix fine ensemble work with shapely, melodic soloing from all concerned. The diverse roots of both players and tunes merge easily, if slightly paradoxically, to produce aCD full of exuberant, life-enhancing sounds that will bear frequent replaying . More information can be found at www.slamproductions.net Paul Donnelly
The Observer, 7 September 2003
Two trios – Britain’s Plaza Jazz Trio and Scandinavia’s Stekpanna – met at a festival in Lapland and decided to "inject a little Latin sunshine into the permafrost". This is the result. It all sounds a bit unlikely, but the end product is really lively and enjoyable. Among the pieces they play are Jobim’s "Retrato em Branco et Preto", featuring Robin Jones on the Brazilian berimbau (the world’s spookiest-sounding instrument), and a number from the Buena Vista Social Club repertoire, in which trumpeter Steve Waterman catches the Cuban style to perfection.
Dave Gelly
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Take the Plaza Jazz Trio (Steve Waterman, George Haslam and Robin Jones) - a quirky, stripped down to the bones Latin jazz ensemble, fresh from working in Cuba with members of Irakere and the Buena Vista Social Club. Add Stekpanna (Mads Kjølby Olesen, Steve Kershaw and Petter Svärd) - a groovy Anglo-Scandinavian trio just returned from a major tour of philharmonic halls in Russia. Provide a venue - the Kaamosjazz festival held under the Northern Lights in Finnish Lapland, where each trio happens to be playing independently. Mix in a little collaborative history – Steve W writing a Concerto for Congas for Robin to be performed by George’s big band Meltdown; Steve K joining Meltdown to play the music of Graham Collier; and Mads writing specially commissioned music for Stekpanna and Meltdown together in the Everything Is South From Here project supported by Southern Arts. Make all six musicians share vodka and reindeer steak together in -40º arctic cold, and that is the moment when they decide to put the two trios together and inject a little Latin sunshine into the permafrost. Throw in the fact that the Arts Council of England thought this was a really good idea and granted some generous funding, and you have the birth of Latin From the North.
The musical result is a Latin Jazz project uniting Stekpanna’s hip Nordic cool with the fiery horns and Latin percussion of the Plaza Trio. The music on this CD blends great compositions, vibrant improvisation and infectious rhythms, all derived from places as apparently disparate as Cuba, Brazil, Scandinavia and the UK. There are classic Latin standards here: Cal Tjader’s groovy mambo Mamblues; the all too infrequently performed Jobim bossa nova Retrato Em Branco E Preto, introduced by the distinctive sounds of the berimbau; Bébé, a classic baiaõ from the pen of Hermeto Pascoal; and De Camino a La Vereda, a son out of the Buena Vista Social Club repertoire. These are teamed up with tunes from the classic jazz tradition, given a fresh Latin twist: Shorty Rogers’ Just a Few worked into a samba (plus a little excursion into swing), and Tangerine metamorphosed into a slow mambo. The original writing talent of the musicians is also showcased – Steve W’s Nowhere to Go is one of the movements from his Concerto for Congas, whereas Mads’ Matusalem is a paean to fine Cuban rum.
As its name suggests, Latin From the North is an eclectic and consciously paradoxical mix. But if you are attracted to the idea of Cuba Libres in the sauna, Havana cigars in an igloo, or cricket on Ipanema beach, then this CD might be just the thing for you.
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