Christmas Records, Day 11: Norwegian Jazz
Bugge Wesseltoft - It's Snowing On My Piano (ACT, released 1997)
Best known for modern jazz albums, Bugge Wesseltoft surprises in many ways with this recording of 12 Christmas songs.
In his first and only solo piano recording, the Norwegian musician, composer and producer manages to remove all the kitsch and to get back to the soul of mostly traditional Scandinavian and European songs. The weirdly familiar sounding, warm and intimate interpretations are all improvisations with episodic bursts and textures. Throughout, however, the work is distinguished by a hypnotic simplicity. When listening carefully, you will discover numerous beautiful details and clearly recognise Wesseltofts nu-jazz influences in rhythm and structure as well as his roots in the Scandinavian jazz movement with its particular sentiment.
This timeless record is a rare exception for Christmas albums.
Bugge Wesseltoft - It's Snowing On My Piano
Comments Post your comment