1. The Bach Piece
2. Memories
3. The Song is You
4. Lines
5. A Nightingale Sang in Berkeley Square
6. You and the Night and the Music
7. My Little Suede Shoes
8. NHOP Presentation
9. I Skovens Dybe Stille Ro
10. Jeg Gik Mig Ud En Sommerdag
11. (Our) Love is Here to Stay
Niels-Henning Orsted Pedersen – Bass
Ulf Wakenius – Guitar
Jonas Johansen - Drums
The
death in 2005 of Niels-Henning Orsted Pedersen
at the age of 58 was a sad event for jazz
fans. In his early years, the Danish bassist
played with many visiting musicians in Denmark,
and he later became a vital member of Oscar
Peterson’s Trio and Quartet – the latter group
with Swedish guitarist Ulf Wakenius, who is
part of the trio on this album. Niels-Henning
– or NHOP as he was often known – was particularly
notable for his brilliant technique, which
allowed him to meet the challenging demands
of Oscar Peterson.
That
technique is fully on display in this album,
recorded at two separate concerts. The first
five tracks come from a 1999 concert in Denmark,
and the remainder were recorded in Germany
in 2005 – only a few weeks before NHOP died.
One surprise is that NHOP’s intonation is
not always perfect. This may be more noticeable
than when he was part of Oscar Peterson ‘s
groups, as on this album he plays the melody
of several tunes. Nevertheless his technique
is generally phenomenal throughout the CD.
The
album starts with NHOP playing The Bach
Piece as a solo, which leads straight
into Memories, although the sleeve
lists them as two separate tracks, which means
that the sleeve henceforth differs from the
numbering of the tracks as they may be shown
on your hi-fi. Pedersen also states the melody
of The Song is You, which is given
a bossa nova treatment. He soloes on this
tune, and the guitarist only supplies chordal
backing. However, Ulf Wakenius comes into
the limelight for his own composition, Lines,
an extremely thrilling piece which the trio
performs with speedy technoflash. It shows
that the trio isn’t merely a meditative ensemble
but it can deliver excitement as well. NHOP
keeps the rhythm moving while Ulf plays a
dynamic solo, followed by an equally energetic
solo from drummer Jonas Johansen. On this
track the trio sounds like John McLaughlin’s
Mahavishnu Orchestra at its most lively.
Pedersen
again states the melody for A Nightingale
Sang in Berkeley Square, which is interpreted
delicately. This segues into You and the
Night and the Music, where Ulf plays the
theme on bell-like guitar and then stretches
out for a long solo which draws all kinds
of timbres from the guitar. After Charlie
Parker’s My Little Suede Shoes, which
is played with lyricism as well as muscle,
Pedersen introduces two Scandinavian folk
songs: one poignant, the other thoughtful,
but both attractive. The CD ends with (Our)
Love is Here to Stay, which – like many
of the preceding tracks – displays Pedersen’s
phenomenal dexterity and Wakenius’s impressive
expertise. Drummer Jonas Johansen provides
exactly the right backing for each tune.
Despite
occasional flaws, this album makes a fitting
elegy for NHOP, who was described by Oscar
Peterson as "arguably the most inventive
bassist in jazz".
Tony Augarde
CD Reviews
ACT
9464-2
