Manafonistas

I’m sure that Esborn Svennson’s untimely death affected many Manafonistas and readers – it certainly affected me deeply.

To tell the truth, when I first heard them I was not particularly blown away. Then I bought the American release, Somewhere Else Before, a compilation culled primarily from From Gagarin’s point of View and Good Morning Susie Soho, (both excellent early albums), and I was hooked – I became a rabid fan, buying every subsequent release and eventually collecting their entire catalog. And hungry for more.

So naturally, I responded to the news that ACT is releasing a new live double CD with great joy and expectation. This trio holds a special place in the jazz universe – and in my heart. They were a singular force of nature- sadly, I never got to see them live.

This is one of those rare trios, the kind whose chemistry can only come about by growing up playing music together. I am looking forward to this one with great anticipation.

Wanna go to the theatre tonight? You prefer the movies? You like books, too? Well, in this film you are in a Broadway theatre, but in fact it´s a movie about a theatre play based on one of the most famous short stories by Raymond Carver. In the café bar next to the theatre sits Mrs. Dickinson from the New York Times and she said she´d write the worst critic ever. I went by bike to the DVD-shop, I just knew the film´s title, “Birdman”, a pure recommendation without any comment but “it´s about artists´ life and I really liked it”, and during the first minutes of the film I recognized the director from the plot´s energy and the camerawork and the way every actor affected the next line of the other. Film music´s just drums, solo drums. Oh, and Mrs. Dickinson critic was the best she ever wrote. But nowadays it´s not a critic in the New York Times which makes one famous, isn´t it?

I was completley stunned when I listened to her two or three appearances on one of the most moving and deep musical experiences i‘ve had in recent times, it took some time to fully realize that STANDARDS VOL. 4 (well, no decent standards, thanks god, no Tin Pan Alley at all, grateful for that) by the, haha, „National Jazz Trio of Scotland“, Mister Wells‘ unique work in progress, is an absolute masterpiece, or, if you think I‘m slightly over the top here, or carried away by enhusiasm, at least it is „a masterpiece of its kind“, and Robert Wyatt would surely be deeply touched and impressed, by a song album that knows so different layers of surface simplicity, and darkness inside. Thank you for the record, Mr. Wells. And, me oh my, the wonderful singer / vocalist at your side! And the art of crescendo!