Dölerud Johansson Quintet: Echoes & Sounds

Echoes And Sounds

Collaboration! I cannot think of a better word for the multi-directional activity that occurs within a jazz band. It describes the synergy that transpires between the musicians who offer their respective creative impulses to the group effort: where the drummer and bassist agree to place the beat, the care in giving and taking space, the support offered from secondary players to primary players in any moment and the respect for each musician’s point of view to be carefully woven into the fabric of sound. Jazz is the only music that democratically and spontaneously reflects the aspirations and dreams of the perfect society.

More than the virtuosity of the musicians, the creative suspenseful melodic lines of the solos, the wonderfully exciting compositions and arrangements, I noticed first the sublime collaboration heard in Echoes And Sounds. The combined experience of these musicians reads impressive and deeper than deep. Their extensive histories have formed strong and vibrant musical voices steeped in individualism and innovation. And what I feel while listening is not only the glorious fusion of talent and insight but also the endeavor to make history in the moment.

I first heard Dan Johansson in November of 1995. I immediately thought: Man!..I wish I could play like that! In more than a thousand concerts during my years with the Norrbotten Big Band, I had the same thought every night. Butterflies of gleaming yellows and oranges flow from his horn. I was a huge fan of Palle Danielsson long before we first played together. The deep woody sound of trees singing and swinging is always apparent coupled with the drive of a warm forceful wind. Torbjörn Gulz is like a painter with a full-colored palette who waits for the cosmic inspiration of timing and hue before each brush stroke. I hear him on the edge of his seat contemplating the perfect moment for a chord behind a soloist and I’m on the edge on my seat digging the intriguing melodic spectrums that appear in his solos. Fredrik Rundqvist swings, colors and drives but also instinctively adds the perfect nuance to every beat. And the all-important fraternity of pulse with Palle and Fredrik enables the necessary cohesion that moves me emotionally and physically.

I am greatly excited when I hear a new inventive voice. I had not heard Magnus Dölerud before this recording. In his sound there is woody brass traveling on life’s passionate breath that carries his thrilling melodies: swinging and arcing magnificently. Dan and Magnus are the epitome of the consummate front-line: blending sounds to present the melodies and complimenting each other’s soloistic styles.

The compositions on this recording were written individually by Dan and Magnus. But the collaboration occurs in how well the tunes flow from one to the next giving the entire suite a combined composer personality. And in the end Billy Strayhorn adds his opinion to the mix.

We live collaboratively: in government, in business, in family, in occupation, in sports. Even when we open the door for someone or give someone a hearty greeting we collaborate. The jazz band and its performance episodes render an abstract vision of interactions large and small that occur in everyday life. This is the primary reason that jazz has such an important role in inspiring society. This group of five scintillating musicians started the collaboration by recording this music. The grand continuance is how the listener collaborates with this recording to interpret and internalize emotions and inspirations. This is when echoes and sounds reverberate the strongest and inspire us all.

Tim Hagans
Jazz Fan and Wild 8th-note Expert