Nils Lindberg - Melody in Blue (Dragon, 1993)

Nils Lindberg, piano
Johan Hörlén, alto sax
Charlie Malmberg, baritone sax
Anders Paulsson, soprano sax
Joakim Milder, tenor sax
Krister Andersson, tenor sax
Jan Adefelt, bass
Bengt Stark, drums

Recorded May 27 & 28, 1993

Studio Sami, Stockholm

Engineers: Peder af Ugglas & Janne Wibäck

Writing and arranging for reed sections is a revered jazz tradition, harkening back to the bands of Woody Herman, Duke Ellington, and Benny Carter. Between 1960 and 2000, Swede Nils Lindberg pursued his passion for arranging with his series of "Saxes Galore" recordings. Melody in Blue sits fourth in the series. 

Melody in Blue presents three of Lindberg's musical interests. As the title suggests, the blues are featured in three original compositions: "Melody in Blue," "Blues in Tempo Presto," and "Blue Bop." Two other tracks are drawn from jazz repertory: "Little Willie Leaps" and "Cottontail." The ensemble work in each of these numbers shapes familiar chord changes into multi-part harmonic shades of blue. 

One of the blues ("Blue Bop") reverses the common practice of ordering solos after the ensemble's melody statement. It instead begins with a sequence of solos (bass, piano, baritone, alto) and ends with a single chorus of melody played by the ensemble. The other blues are more conventionally structured with emphasis on the ensembles.

Lindberg's second interest is folk music, expressed in a beautiful suite of three short songs that sound like traditional folk melodies but are all composed by Lindberg. The dance-like "Polska with All My Love" features soprano sax, piano, and added horns.

 

The third, and most beautiful, interest is idyllic elegies and lullabies. "For Absent Friends" somberly leads off the album. "Shall I Compare Thee to a Summer's Day" is the most gorgeous track on the album and is positioned between two of the blues. "Vaggvisa-Lullabye" precedes the rousing version of Duke Ellington's "Cottontail," which closes the album.

Lindberg's contributions to music are summarized in a biography published in 2002 following his death:

"With roots in Swedish folk music and jazz, and using the forms of classical music, he developed a unique musical language, independent of trends and prevailing ideals, achieving great success both in Sweden and internationally. He was a boundary-crossing artist, equally appreciated by jazz musicians, symphony orchestras, and choirs." Nils Lindberg

I'm glad that I discovered Saxes Galore and Swedish jazz in general. All jazz lovers should expose their ears to the wonderful music on this recording.

Saxes Galore albums by Nils Lindberg:

Sax Appeal (Barben, 1960)

Trisection (Capitol, 1962)

Saxes Galore (Bluebell, 1979)

Melody in Blue (Dragon,1993)

Third Saxes Galore (Prophone, 2000)

For my review of Lindberg's Brass Galore, go to:

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