Simon Oslender, About Time, Leopard

A textbook case of a gathering of a lot of seriously great players and even a big star or two as featured guests. And yet somehow the album just does not work. Perhaps it is simply a matter of taste. Don't get me wrong: you can pass the time quite …

Published: 29 Jan 2020. Updated: 4 years.

A textbook case of a gathering of a lot of seriously great players and even a big star or two as featured guests. And yet somehow the album just does not work.

Perhaps it is simply a matter of taste. Don't get me wrong: you can pass the time quite happily listening funkily along to the excellent instrumentalism. But if you are looking for something to touch you deeply, no that is not going to happen.

The vocal tracks featuring Peter Fessler and Cosmo Klein navigate more from the jazz-rock base into a soul-funky stew that just seems reheated. If you were to take those tracks ('Fragile' and 'Edge of Life') out or just listen to individual tracks elsewhere then that's one solution and certainly blotting out the vocals makes me think more favourably of the album.

Randy Brecker is superb, fluent and passionate, on 'Summer in Berlin' and as for Simon Oslender, the young keyboardist whose name is on the cover and who is in ex-Miles Davis saxophonist Bill Evans' band (Evans features on 'Rooftop Party') he is a significant talent, playing organ and synths as well as piano. I enjoyed listening to him a lot. His tunes are less exhilarating but perfectly OK (the vibes-flavoured 'Warehouse' at the beginning is the pick).

The choice of Sting's 'Fragile' as one of the covers could have been better given how often it has been covered. More positively drummer Wolfgang Haffner again shows how much of a world class player he is but Oslender needs a producer other than himself because About Time is just a bit too muso and pleased with itself. As a debut however this is a good enough statement of intent and certainly cements his sideman credentials if not his leader ones just yet. If you want to party a bit then go for it: knock yourself out. But you might have a hell of a hangover in the morning. SG

To be released on Friday.

Tags:

Silje Nergaard marks three decades of music making with a double album: London club dates coming up

With a voice as pure and lilting as the Norwegian Silje Nergaard's, typically her sound is represented in the line-ups of jazz festivals, and yet there is hardly any bluesiness to it, more a folky, almost Celtic lilt. Like Polish singer Anna Maria …

Published: 29 Jan 2020. Updated: 4 years.

Next post

With a voice as pure and lilting as the Norwegian Silje Nergaard's, typically her sound is represented in the line-ups of jazz festivals, and yet there is hardly any bluesiness to it, more a folky, almost Celtic lilt.

Like Polish singer Anna Maria Jopek her voice belongs just as much in a general public consciousness that can as easily be described as living in the domain of song, a big country that completely disregards notion of genre.

In fact a great deal of ''jazz vocals'' at best a fairly nebulous term beyond its classic state bypasses genre in any case because most singers are at the mercy of the song itself not the category that marketeers bunch it under.

On Facebook Nergaard introduces what to expect this spring: ''To celebrate the 30th anniversary of my career, I will release a unique double album on 27 March, featuring new songs as well as acoustic piano versions of my greatest hits.''

On the, while beautifully conveyed, to some jazz tastes bland 'Be Still My Heart' now streaming ahead of the double CD Brilliant's release, listen for the very subtle piano accompaniment of Espen Berg that certainly enhances the overall effect of the song. However, it is easy to take for granted how gifted Nergaard is as a singer and how effortlessly she manages to convey whatever material she chooses to interpret.

Clearly her label OKeh/Sony is hoping for mass market appeal here beyond her best selling presence in Norway given how ungeneric the single just released is. Does it move me? No not at all unfortunately although I can appreciate the strength and art of the performance. You cannot jump to snap conclusions with a singer like Nergaard, however as a caveat even if first impressions cannot be washed away, there are always multiple layers to what she manages to achieve.

Album tracks are: Be Still My Heart (acoustic version); Based on a Thousand True Stories (acoustic version); The Waltz (acoustic version); I Don't Wanna See You Cry (acoustic version); Mercy Street (acoustic version); Lullaby to Erle (acoustic version); Love of My Life (acoustic version); Japanese Blue (acoustic version); En Og En (acoustic version); What a Wonderful World (acoustic version); Jeg Vil Takke Livet (acoustic version); Next Stop Hamar; The Train Now Standing; Never Happier Than This; Departure Times; The Railway Girl; Waiting Room; Train of Fragile Hearts; The Night Traveller; Neste stopp Hamar; Perrong; Ennå Underveis; Avgang; Togjenta; Tiden Det Tar; Et lite Rykk; Nattoget. SG

Nergaard and Berg are playing London at Pizza Express Jazz Club on 13-14 February.