"When John Coltrane was asked by the Swedish jazz critic Carl-Erik Lindgren, ”Who are some of your favorites?”, his answer was ”All of them.”
After listening to Nålsöga (”The Eye of the Needle”), I want to answer similarly: ”All of them—especially Kari Sjöstrand.”
Here she and her quartet offer us a set of radiant, exciting, and swinging jazz. All the tunes are Kari’s own compositions. In the blues Eko (Echo), she plays a solo that has everything, and so do her colleagues, Gunnar Åkerhielm, superb on piano, and Ulf Åkerhielm on bass.
Ulf, one of Sweden’s most gifted bass players, contributes a fantastic solo on Bortvalsen (Waltz Away). Kari has created a special mood with her title ballad Nålsöga— extending Lars Gullin’s legacy of Nordic beauty and melancholy. On Polska från Djupaviken, I’m particularly struck by the feeling for form that all these soloists have: Ulf’s structured arco bass, Gunnar’s free but masterly piano playing, supported by Sebastian Voegler’s sensitive drumming.

It’s tempting sometimes to draw comparisons with other great stars of jazz, but here it is completely unnecessary. This quartet stands firmly on its own artistic legs. It’s been a long time since I’ve felt such joy as this music has given me. Each composition has its own unique personality. Kari, I imagine, might reply: ”Are you surprised?”

Kalbo 25 augusti 2011
Nisse Sandström

In our live concerts we often mix loved classic evergreens from the american songbook with originals.