Tobias Wiklund / Nils Berg / Simon Toldam / Georg Riedel / Anders Christensen

Resolved to create moods rather than measure progression during Tak for dit brev (Thank you for your Letter) Danish pianist Simon Toldam’s compositions take on unexpectedly restrained textures. Yet the folkloric, pop and mainstream Jazz dispatches are saved from the mundane by the quintet’s creative strength as well as its unexpected configuration. Without drums, rhythmic impetus comes from dual bassists, Czech-Swede Georg Riedel and Dane Anders Christensen, with lyrical scope provided by Swedes, cornetist Tobias Wiklund and bass clarinetist Nils Berg. While the other players were all born in the late 1970s, Riedel’s presence is particularly telling since besides his Jazz career, the 86-year-old scored several films. Not a soundtrack, this disc still projects atmosphere and emotion that astutely links these 12 understated examples of Scandinavian chamber Jazz.

Beginning with “Mor” a marshy line built on brass puffs and chalumeau reed distillation, andante bass movement add both a rhythmic anchor and string decorations until keyboard chinks confirm the melody. After “Mor” there are more thematic variations that at points add impulses reminiscent of Scandinavian runes, Countrypolitan piano, Jazz-swing and wide capillary blats. Culmination arrives in a formal ornamented track like “Den Blå Stol” with a perfectly modulated duet between mid-range clarinet trills and a thickened bass string shrug. Still, each player gets some solo space. These include an almost achingly high-pitched cornet strain on “Et Postkort” balanced with moderated reed trills and string rasps or a Northern European variant on the Blues broken down with reed slurs, brass shrills and keyboard splays on “Dansk Kulturarv”. Toldam’s dedicated pianism from hesitant bottom key rumbles to splashing lyrical embellishments are also on show.

With its toy-piano-like clanks and woody key stops the concluding “To Virkeligheder” sounds like a bizzaro take on a traditional melody. That tune and “Gå Gå Gå”, the date’s liveliest track with florid expressive piano slides, mid-range clarinet trills and doubled bass thumps, actualize the admixture the quintet aims for throughout. This increased oomph suggests how the impressive program could be further enlivened and refined.

–Ken Waxman

Track Listing: 1. .jazzword.com/one-review/?id=127516 2. Nu Sejler VI 3. Måneløb 4. Luft 5. Et Postkort 6. Opdrift 7. Den Blå Stol 8. Albert´s Tic Tac 9. Godmorgen træ 10. Gå Gå Gå 11. Dansk Kulturarv 12. To Virkeligheder

Personnel: Tobias Wiklund (cornet); Nils Berg (bass clarinet); Simon Toldam (piano and clarinet); Georg Riedel and Anders Christensen (bass)