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)

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