AMCD888

Pied À Terre

Christian Spering

“It doesn’t get any better than this..” – VK

Pied à terre is Christian Spering’s debut under his own name.

Here he has resumed collaboration with a number of musicians that he had worked closely with in different contexts previously. Included in this group are Joakim Milder, saxophone, Staffan Svensson, trumpet, Magnus Persson, piano and Magnus Gran, drums. Musicians with strong personalities, but also with the strong ambition to create music together. Musicians for whom the tone, the sound, not only in their own musical expression but in the overall sound of the group, is of the utmost importance. The fact that much of the music performed on Pied à terre was written with these musicians in mind is not surprising. Christian Spering’s powerful compositions, with the melody always set in the forefront, are interpreted congenially. The music arises in a seemingly organic fashion in a meeting between musicians.

Ten original compositions

Pied à terre contains ten original compositions, with the title melody acting as a sort of pivotal point. The introductory Chorale is also included here – the first meeting, tones set out, then resolved – in order to seamlessly and apparently effortlessly build a theme. Juli, with its fragrance of the Swedish high-summer and a gentle, evening breeze in the melody. The Nordic coolness in Limelight Zone. A tone o f folk-music in the solo number, Mol allena. A.C. Jobim’s Boto and three improvisations in the studio complete Pied à terre.

Jan Håfström:

“To observe a painting or to listen to music can be a way to travel. To prepare for a journey. It is when the sound fades away that you hear the music and understand where it was leading.”

Tracks & Info

Christian Spering, contrabass Joakim Milder, saxophone Staffan Svensson, trumpet Anders Persson, piano Magnus Gran, drums

1 Chorale (6:22)
2 Kharábáti (4:24)
3 Juli (5:33)
4 Limelight Zone (9:28)
5 To the Edge (7:02)
6 Trekkespilleren (6:36)
7 Trapp (1:57)
8 Off Course (3:51)
9 Pied à Terre (6:38)
10 Tripp (1:08)
11 Mol Allena (1:25)
12 Boto (4:04)
13 Distante (5:55)
14 Trull (2:18)

Reviews

“original and free of clichés is everything on this disc, one who really takes time to listen will be richly rewarded” (Jörgen Östberg, Orkester Journalen)

“.. filled with expressive beauty. In my ears one of this year’s most essential Swedish jazzrecordings.” (Johnny Olsson Nya Wermlands-Tidningen 20/12/2000)

“Christian Spering has a poetic explosive force, as a composer, arranger and instrumentalist. In one piece he goes unconstrained from the subtle lyrical to the straggling wild…”
(Ingrid Strömdahl, SVD 21/2/2001)

“Swedish jazz is like a speckled fan with many expressions, but at every given time there’s someone at the frontline being in the centre of innovation.
Right now this centre coincide with Christian Spering’s Quintet. It doesn’t get any better than this..” (VK 24/2/2001)

Spotify

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