Artist: Nils Landgren, Michael Wollny, Lars Danielsson, Wolfgang Haffner
Album: 4 Wheel Drive II
Genre: Vocal Jazz, Contemporary Jazz
Label: ACT Music
Released: 2023
Quality: FLAC (tracks+.cue)
Tracklist:
- Chapter II (Wollny) - 3:04
- Still Crazy After All These Years (Simon) - 5:27
- Hold on My Heart (Collins-Banks-Rutherford) - 5:17
- The Sound of Silence (Simon) - 5:40
- Just Another Minute (Danielsson-Landgren) - 3:44
- Sunrise (Landgren) - 4:13
- Spring Dance (Wollny) - 3:00
- Fields of Gold (Sting) - 4:41
- April Rain (Haffner) - 5:18
- Your Song (John-Taupin) - 4:31
- The Wheelers (Danielsson) - 4:25
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So-called jazz ‘supergroups’ usually come with a ‘wow’ factor by way of the pedigree of the personnel involved. Collectively though, you could well be heading for major disappointment. This is certainly a jazz supergroup on paper: all four of these Swedish-German instrumentalists being leading members of the Munich-based major jazz indie ACT label family.
They’re a striking mix of leaders and instrumentalists in their own right. Compared to the band’s 2019 debut 4 Wheel Drive, this second volume contains a larger ratio of original material to pop-song covers. The non-originals are the usual suspects by 1970s/80s singer-songwriters from the sophisticated mainstream; songs by Sting, Paul Simon, and Elton John.
That’s not a bad thing but, the interpretations here are quite unremarkable, with the exception of a take on Sting’s ‘Fields of Gold’, that the writer would probably approve of; the tune is given a seductively atmospheric African-inflected jazz-folky flavour, largely thanks to Danielsson’s characteristically resonant bass sonic. He and trombonist/vocalist Nils Landgren also contribute a song that’s pleasant enough, but pretty innocuous.
It’s pianist Michael Wollny’s approach, however, to find a fresh angle in all things familiar – and his support of Landgren’s vocal on Elton John’s ‘Your Song’ and on drummer Wolfgang Haffner’s romantic film theme-like ‘April Rain’ engage us for that reason. And Wollny’s opening original the driving ‘Chapter II’ and upbeat ‘Spring Dance’ are a little reminder of his former high-profile piano trio Em. Landgren’s vocal has always been an acquired taste, alongside his funk-jazz ’bone.
Being reminiscent of John Martyn is never a bad thing and it has a naïve, no-frills charm about it.
This is a four-wheel drive certainly as names and performances go, but one that’s perhaps in need of a few more gear changes next time out.
Review by Selwyn Harris