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Tuuri

Free Swing

Tuuri

Price: € 14.95
Format: CD
Label: Double Moon Records
UPC: 0608917141726
Catnr: DMCHR 71417
Release date: 25 November 2022
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Label
Double Moon Records
UPC
0608917141726
Catalogue number
DMCHR 71417
Release date
25 November 2022

"... Axel Schlosser is a pretty complete trumpeter with incredible intonation and the entire history of jazz in his baggage. His Scandinavian band partners Karl-Martin Almqvist (tenor sax), Mattias Welin (bass) and Jaska Lukkarinen (drums) are on the same high level, making Free Swing a top European band..."

Jazzthing, 27-1-2023
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About the album

You might think that Free Swing is a fitting name for a jazz quartet, but there is actually more to it in the case of this international band of four; the two words are composed of the internationally customary abbreviations of the countries of origin of the protagonists: Trumpeter Axel Schlosser comes from Germany (GER), tenor saxophonist Karl-Martin Almqvist and bassist Mattias Welin from Sweden (SWE) and drummer Jaska Lukkarinen from Finland (FIN).
Of course, Free Swing also stands for the music of the quartet: "We play music that swings," Axel Schlosser put it in a nutshell, "but it is very freely designed.”
The four musicians came together on long, winding paths. “I know Karl-Martin from the JazzBaltica-Ensemble, and I met Jaska on a tour with the EBU big band,” Axel Schlosser recounted. "We also met again and again by chance, in Stockholm and elsewhere, and at some point the two of them told me about their band with Mattias, for which they were looking for a fourth musician. That's how I joined them, and we went on tour in Sweden for the first time. Most of the recordings of the album were made during our first meeting.”
That certainly was a lucky coincidence and that's exactly what the Finnish term “Tuuri” means, which gives the debut album its name. The four musicians are well-established protagonists of the European jazz scene. Axel Schlosser has been the soloist of the hr big band for twenty years and also maintains his own ensembles. He recently released the album "To Satchmo and Duke” with his quartet.
The Swedish tenor saxophonist Karl-Martin Almqvist has already released four CDs with his own quartet, has collaborated with Pat Metheny, Dave Liebman and Dee Dee Bridgewater and was part of the Norrbotten Big Band and the Danish Radio Big Band in Copenhagen. “Many Swedish friends call Karl-Martin the bear,” Axel Schlosser said, "which is due to his appearance. But he actually has his heart in the right place. In addition, he has a very individual sound on the tenor; you know that it is him after three or four notes."
Mattias Welin has been a sought-after bassist on the Scandinavian scene for years. “He is a thinker who always has a good overview,” Axel Schlosser said. “He observes everything quietly and pays attention to how things fit together. A fantastic bass player who provides a great foundation and also composes beautiful pieces.”
Jaska Lukkarinen first learned accordion and piano when he was a young child, but then quickly decided that he wanted to play drums. He was influenced by drummers such as John Riley, Adam Nussbaum and Ari Hoenig, from whom he learned his trade. “Jaska is a very spirited and lively guy,” Axel Schlosser stated. “He has a certain unpredictability, both as a person and as a drummer. This keeps our music fresh, because he never plays a piece twice in the same way.”
And the music of Free Swing really sounds fresh; the four musicians whirl through eleven tracks with a lot of energy, all of which are their own compositions except for one Brahms arrangement. "For all four of us, the band is a project that is close to our hearts”, Axel Schlosser stated expressing his pleasure about the album, "and we have already had wonderful concerts in Finland, Sweden and Germany.” The songs are not only vehicles for improvisations, but also captivate with original themes such as the Latin influence in Almqvist's "Welin in Acapulco" or the beautiful ballad "Near Birches, Birds and Bees", which Axel Schlosser composed. A piece by Axel Schlosser, with which the album closes, proves that Free Swing, despite its enthusiasm for freedom, has also preserved a heart for tradition: “If There Is No Blues…”

Free Swing ist doch ein passender Name für ein Jazzquartett, sollte man meinen, doch im Fall dieser internationalen Viererbande verbirgt sich tatsächlich mehr dahinter - die beiden Wörter setzen sich aus den international üblichen Kürzeln der Herkunftsländer der Protagonisten zusammen: Trompeter Axel Schlosser kommt aus Deutschland (GER), Tenorsaxofonist Karl-Martin Almqvist und Bassist Mattias Welin aus Schweden (SWE) und Schlagzeuger Jaska Lukkarinen stammt aus Finnland (FIN).
Natürlich steht Free Swing auch für die Musik des Quartetts: „Wir spielen Musik, die swingt“, bringt Axel Schlosser es auf den Punkt, „die aber sehr frei gestaltet ist.“
Zusammengekommen sind die vier Musiker auf langen, verschlungenen Wegen. „Karl-Martin kenne ich aus dem JazzBaltica-Ensemble und Jaska habe ich auf einer Tour mit der EBU-Bigband kennengelernt“, weiß Axel Schlosser zu berichten. „Wir hatten uns auch immer wieder zufällig getroffen, in Stockholm und anderswo und irgendwann erzählten mir die beiden von ihrer Band mit Mattias, für die sie einen vierten Mann suchten. So bin ich dazu gekommen und wir sind erst einmal in Schweden auf Tour gegangen. Ein Großteil der Aufnahmen des Albums entstanden während unseres ersten Treffens.“
Das kann man weiß Gott einen glücklichen Zufall nennen und genau das bedeutet auch der finnische Begriff „Tuuri“, der dem Debüt-Album seinen Namen gibt. Die vier Musiker sind gestandene Protagonisten der europäischen Jazz-Szene. Axel Schlosser ist seit zwanzig Jahren Solist der hr-Bigband und unterhält auch eigene Ensembles. Mit seinem Quartett veröffentlichte er zuletzt das Album „To Satchmo and Duke“.
Der schwedische Tenorsaxofonist Karl-Martin Almqvist hat mit seinem eigenen Quartett bereits vier CDs veröffentlicht, hat schon mit Pat Metheny, Dave Liebman und Dee Dee Bridgewater zusammengearbeitet und war Teil der Norrbotten Big Band und der Danish Radio Bigband in Kopenhagen. „Karl-Martin nennen viele schwedischen Freunde auch den Bär“, erzählt Axel Schlosser, „was auf seine Erscheinung zurückzuführen ist - er hat aber auch tatsächlich das Herz am rechten Fleck. Außerdem verfügt er über eine sehr individuelle Stimme am Tenor, nach drei, vier Noten weiß man, dass er es ist.“
Mattias Welin ist seit Jahren ein gefragter Bassist der skandinavischen Szene. „Er ist ein Denker, der immer einen guten Überblick hat“, meint Axel Schlosser. „Er beobachtet alles im Stillen und achtet darauf, wie sich die Dinge zusammenfügen. Ein Super-Bassist, der ein tolles Fundament liefert und auch schöne Stücke schreibt.“
Jaska Lukkarinen hat als Kind zunächst Akkordeon und Klavier gelernt, sich dann aber schnell für das Schlagzeug entschieden - geprägt wurde er von Drummern wie John Riley, Adam Nussbaum und Ari Hoenig, bei denen er sein Metier gelernt hat. „Jaska ist ein sehr temperamentvoller und quirliger Typ“, sagt Axel Schlosser. „Er bringt eine gewisse Unberechenbarkeit mit, sowohl als Person als auch als Drummer. Das hält unsere Musik frisch, denn er spielt ein Stück niemals zweimal gleich.“
Und frisch klingt die Musik von Free Swing wirklich - mit viel Energie wirbeln die vier Musiker durch elf Titel, die bis auf eine Brahms-Bearbeitung auch alle aus ihren eigenen Federn stammen. „Für uns alle vier ist die Band ein Herzensprojekt“, kann sich Axel Schlosser über das Album freuen, „und wir haben schon wunderbare Konzerte in Finnland, Schweden und Deutschland gehabt.“ Die Songs sind nicht lediglich Vehikel für Improvisationen, sondern bestechen durch originelle Themen wie etwa den Latin-Einfluss bei Almqvists „Welin in Acapulco“ oder die wunderschöne Ballade „Near Birches, Birds and Bees“, die Axel Schlosser geschrieben hat. Dass Free Swing sich bei allem Enthusiasmus für die Freiheit auch ein Herz für die Tradition bewahrt haben, beweist ein Song von Axel Schlosser, mit dem das Album schließt: „If There Is No Blues…“



Artist(s)

Axel Schlosser (trumpet)

Axel Schlosser is one of the best and most versatile trumpet players in Germany. Over the past 20 years, he has played in numerous big bands (Sunday Night Orchestra, Rainer Tempel Big Band, Al Porcino Big Band, Bobby Burgess Big Band Explosion, Ed Partyka Jazz Orchestra and hr-Bigband, among others) and smaller bands of traditional to modern jazz from Charly Antolini to Albert Mangelsdorff. In addition, he has conducted several of his own bands (he released the CD 'Tales From The South' with his quartet on Double Moon Records in 2013) and is a member in other bands, e.g., the quintet L 14, 16, which has won numerous awards (also at Double Moon Records: 'Elder', 2011).
more
Axel Schlosser is one of the best and most versatile trumpet players in Germany. Over the past 20 years, he has played in numerous big bands (Sunday Night Orchestra, Rainer Tempel Big Band, Al Porcino Big Band, Bobby Burgess Big Band Explosion, Ed Partyka Jazz Orchestra and hr-Bigband, among others) and smaller bands of traditional to modern jazz from Charly Antolini to Albert Mangelsdorff. In addition, he has conducted several of his own bands (he released the CD "Tales From The South" with his quartet on Double Moon Records in 2013) and is a member in other bands, e.g., the quintet L 14, 16, which has won numerous awards (also at Double Moon Records: "Elder", 2011).

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Karl-Martin Almqvist (tenor saxophone)

Composer(s)

Axel Schlosser (trumpet)

Axel Schlosser is one of the best and most versatile trumpet players in Germany. Over the past 20 years, he has played in numerous big bands (Sunday Night Orchestra, Rainer Tempel Big Band, Al Porcino Big Band, Bobby Burgess Big Band Explosion, Ed Partyka Jazz Orchestra and hr-Bigband, among others) and smaller bands of traditional to modern jazz from Charly Antolini to Albert Mangelsdorff. In addition, he has conducted several of his own bands (he released the CD 'Tales From The South' with his quartet on Double Moon Records in 2013) and is a member in other bands, e.g., the quintet L 14, 16, which has won numerous awards (also at Double Moon Records: 'Elder', 2011).
more
Axel Schlosser is one of the best and most versatile trumpet players in Germany. Over the past 20 years, he has played in numerous big bands (Sunday Night Orchestra, Rainer Tempel Big Band, Al Porcino Big Band, Bobby Burgess Big Band Explosion, Ed Partyka Jazz Orchestra and hr-Bigband, among others) and smaller bands of traditional to modern jazz from Charly Antolini to Albert Mangelsdorff. In addition, he has conducted several of his own bands (he released the CD "Tales From The South" with his quartet on Double Moon Records in 2013) and is a member in other bands, e.g., the quintet L 14, 16, which has won numerous awards (also at Double Moon Records: "Elder", 2011).

less

Press

... Axel Schlosser is a pretty complete trumpeter with incredible intonation and the entire history of jazz in his baggage. His Scandinavian band partners Karl-Martin Almqvist (tenor sax), Mattias Welin (bass) and Jaska Lukkarinen (drums) are on the same high level, making Free Swing a top European band...
Jazzthing, 27-1-2023

... Modern, timeless jazz that does not deny its traditional roots and indulges with exciting dialogues and soloistic excursions.    
virgin jazz face, 23-12-2022

... these elements (bring) plenty of variety and an atmosphere to the game that demands attention and then rewards it with passionate play and interactions that seem spontaneous...
Musikansich, 02-2-2023

... Sensitive handling of the sounds of colleagues, exciting dialogues of the wind players with and above a base that even standing slowly still lets groove shine through.
NaDann, 13-1-2023

... The German trumpeter Axel Schlosser, the two Swedes Karl-Martin Almqvist on tenor saxophone and Matthias Welin on bass and the Finn Jaska Lukkarinen on drums make you completely forget about a harmony instrument, so intense and dense they sound in their, with one exception, exclusively own compositions...
nrw jazznet, 23-12-2022

... These excellent instrumentalists provide us with exciting dialogues and solo performances embedded in great compositions ...
jazzfun, 25-11-2022

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