[Dixielandjazz] Fwd: Fw: Keep (it) Swinging

Fri Feb 5 22:14:39 UTC 2016

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*מאת:* Keep (it) Swinging <noreply+feedproxy at google.com>
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*תאריך:* פבר׳ 5, 2016 5:38
*נושא:* Keep (it) Swinging

Keep (it) Swinging <http://keepitswinging.blogspot.com/>
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Mads Tolling Quartet Feat. Jacob Fischer - Celebrating Svend Asmussen
<http://feedproxy.google.com/~r/KeepitSwinging/~3/-wYBGrQja9A/mads-tolling-quartet-feat-jacob-fischer.html?utm_source=feedburner&utm_medium=email>

Posted: 04 Feb 2016 12:00 PM PST
<https://3.bp.blogspot.com/-pqZqwPr9UcU/VrN9tgTWCsI/AAAAAAAAD7g/OtaDw8GZXcc/s1600/Mads-Tolling---Celebrating-Svend-Asmussen---Cover300-400x400.jpg>
CD front - Gateway Music (2016)
Later this month - the 28th of February - Danish jazz fiddler supreme *Svend
Asmussen* can celebrate his 100th anniversary. On the occasion of this
great day there has already been initiated several events to mark the
centennial of the remarkable and world famous Danish jazz musician, a.o. a
new book recollecting Asmussen's life and career was released in Denmark
last year and a collection of poetry in English and Danish celebrating
Svend Asmussen as a person written by his wife, Ellen Bick Asmussen, has
also been published. Last year also presented the music of Svend Asmussen
in a new constellation by the *Mads Tolling Quartet feat. Jacob Fischer* in
a series of concerts around Denmark and Sweden. Now this ensemble has just
released the above shown CD recorded October 2015 featuring some of the
music presented at the concert tour appropriately titled *Celebrating Svend
Asmussen.*
<https://2.bp.blogspot.com/-akiraTgw8nk/VrN-Xc1lSkI/AAAAAAAAD7k/4-EfvwOVp7A/s1600/profil%2Bimage.jpg>
Mads Tolling (photo courtesy madstolling.com)*Mads Tolling
<http://madstolling.com/bio/> *(b 1980) is an internationally renowned
violinist and composer conducting a successful career worldwide. He grew up
in Copenhagen and moved to the USA at age 20 to pursue jazz studies and
graduated summa cum laude from Berkelee College of Music in 2003. While
still attending Berklee, the renowned jazz violinist Jean-Luc Ponty
recommended him to join Stanley Clarke’s band. Since then, Tolling has
performed more than one hundred concerts with Clarke worldwide, including
the Newport Jazz Festival. In 2007 Mads Tolling started his own trio and
recorded the album Speed of Light. The following year the trio expanded to
a quartet. With this quartet Mads Tolling released a live CD album in
2012 celebrating
Jean-Luc Ponty, another CD
titled The Playmaker released in 2009 featured Stanley Clarke, Russell
Ferrante and Stefon Harris. More about Mads Tolling's international career
and recordings at the official website, here <http://madstolling.com/>

The *Mads Tolling Quartet* presented at the new CD has Mads Tolling playing
violin in a repertoire of music known from Asmussen's own quartet live
performances and recordings during the 1990s and 2000s. Besides Tolling
this quartet has Scandinavian sidemen. Danish jazz guitar ace *Jacob
Fischer <http://www.jacobfischer.dk/index.html> *was a mainstay with
Asmussen's quartet for 15 years and shares solo spots with Tolling, and
they are accompanied by two very competent rhythm players, *Kasper Tagel
<http://www.kaspertagel.dk/> *on double bass and *Snorre Kirk
<http://snorrekirk.dk/> *on drums.
<https://2.bp.blogspot.com/-eTiGBFYIlSY/VrOAYVqgHUI/AAAAAAAAD7w/-1gZIc0VKsE/s1600/kvartet-2_996x560_acf_cropped.jpg>
l-r: Kaper Tagel (b), Mads Tolling (v), Snorre Kirk (d), Jacob Fischer (g)
(press photo)
There are eleven tracks at the new CD, four of them feature compositions by
Asmussen - *Take Off Blues, Hambo Om Bakfoten, Nadja* and *Scandinavian
Shuffle*. Also featued are two Gershwin tunes - *Someone To Watch Over Me*
and *I Got Rhythm*, further two jazz standards in a duo performance by
Tolling and Fischer - *After You've Gone* and *Honeysuckle Rose*. Two latin
pieces are also presented - Piazzolla's *Libertango* and Jacob Fischer's
*Latino*, and finally Asmussen's well known signature tune *June Night*.

The arrangements of the featured tunes are excellent and so is the
performance of the music, all members of the quartet contribute to the
impression of a solid, swinging record.  The interplay between the
musicians is great and well tested through several live performances at the
time when the CD was recorded. *Mads Tolling* has the lead voice in all
tracks and his touch at the violin resembles Asmussen's, a trained ear may
also be able to trace other influences in Tolling's tone and approach,
however, his versions of the featured tunes are great and leave plenty of
space for his personal improvisation that gives renewed life and intensity
to well-known tunes from Asmussen's book. It is hard to pick out highlights
of the CD, all eleven tracks keep the attention of this listener at an
intense level. Should I nevertheless point out a few highlights, then it
must be the two duet recordings by Tolling and Fischer. Both men have ample
opportunity to display their individual capacity as excellent improvisers
and attentive musicians, especially the duo's version of *Honeysuckle Rose*
marvels with inventive improvisation by both musicians. As mentioned, the
rhythm section in the remaining tracks is competent and also gets solo
spots a couple of times which generates a varied impression of the music
when listening to the CD.

- I highly recommend the CD as a splendid homage to the musical legacy
of *Svend
Asmussen* and not the least as an opportunity to celebrate his centennial
while listening to the music.

The CD is released by Gateway Music and is available for purchase in a
download version here
<http://www.gatewaymusicshop.dk/index.php?route=product/product&product_id=947>
and
here <https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B01AZ8IQC0/ref=dm_ws_sp_ps_dp>.  You
also have the opportunity to listen to all tracks in full length here
<https://soundcloud.com/mads-tolling/sets/mads-tolling-quartet-celebrating-svend-asmussen>
.

- If you are in Scandinavia this month, there are plenty of opportunities
to attend a live performance by *Mads Tolling Quartet featuring Jacob
Fischer*, a tour schedule is available at Tolling's website, here
<http://madstolling.com/live-dates/>, or check out local media to keep
updated on concert dates and locations.

To end this small review of the Quartet's celebration of Svend Asmussen,
I'll insert a couple of uploaded videos of live performances from the
quartet's concert tour in 2014. - Here is first a performance of *It Don't
Mean A Thing ...*

<https://3.bp.blogspot.com/-OZiuaIMXi40/VrODwuseK2I/AAAAAAAAD78/TtmpOwY3pDg/s1600/Mads_Tollling_Jacob_Fischer.81a82ae032af8260318695df9226e5f6.jpg>
Mads Tolling (v) and Jacob Fischer (g) - press photo
>From another location, here is Tolling and Fischer's live duet performance
of *Honeysuckle Rose*

Finally, here is the Quartet in a live performance of Asmussen's *Scandinavian
Shuffle*

---
*Jo*
keepitswinging.domain at gmail.com

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