For those who have been missing fusion in today’s homogenized jazz market, this new recording by Swedish born bass and keyboard player Johannnes Zetterberg is perfect. Not only are the compositions top-notch, but the assisting musicians he brings along for the ride are some of the best in the business. While some names will be familiar to jazz followers, like saxophonist Eric Marienthal and keyboardist Jay Oliver, others like guitarist Erik Linder and saxophonist Jens Filipsson may not be. Don’t let this scare you off, Zetterberg has culled some of the best Nordic musicians to accompany him and the rest is incredible. The recording opens with the power jazz-rocker "Thrill Minute." Linder’s guitar lead is strong and Jonas Isaksson’s guitar solo captures the excitement set up by Zetterberg’s composition and raises it to a whole new level. On "Another Exit," Oliver lights it up with a dazzlingly display of keyboard technique that fits like a hand in a snug glove with his rhythmic punctuations. The Weather Report "Black Market" inspired "Quintana Roo" features some fantastic cross playing by Filipsson and Linder. Their trading of lines and then melding them together is finely wrought and expertly crafted. Aron Mellergardh’s drum set work provides solid propulsion behind Arvid Svenungsson’s synth solo before Zetterberg takes over the soloistic reigns with a clean and locked-in-the-pocket solo that is melodic and hip at the same time. The lovely power ballad "Luna Nueva (Only A Dream)" proves Zetterberg can spin out touching melodies as artfully as Tom Scott during his 1980s period. Filipsson’s alto sax works within the harmonic structure as he slowly builds his solo higher and higher in both tessitura and soulful expression. This young Swedish musician is someone to watch. With solid harmonic conceptualizations and full tone, his time is just about ripe to come to the world stage. Eric Marienthal’s upper chordal structure solo on "Adrenochrome" is yet another example of just how great a saxophonist he is. Melding advanced chromatic concepts with a firm lock to the key, Marienthal proves his talent goes far beyond some of the smooth jazz recordings he’s made as a leader. It’s nice to hear him just lay-it-down by taking no prisoners. It’s so rare to hear good electric jazz these days and if one has to go across the pond to find it, then be fearless and make the jaunt. If you like the Chick Corea Elektric Band, you’ll love this recording. If this recording is a portent for things to come, then Zetterberg’s future is bright indeed. Written by & © Thomas R. Erdmann 20.02.2009 © 2013 - 2014 jazzreview.com. All rights reserved. http://www.jazzreview.com/cd-reviews/fusion-cd-reviews/luna-nueva-by-johannes-zetterberg.html
The first solo album by Swedish bass player Johannes Zetterberg. Johannes plays fusion reminiscent of the Yellowjackets, Karizma, Chick Corea Elektric band, Spyro Gyra, and other bands, although maybe not as complex. Nevertheless. The musicianship, songs and production on this album is first class. As well as using some highly skilled musicians from The Royal College of Music in Stockholm, Sweden, Johannes has the help of Eric Marienthal, Jay Oliver, Otmaro Ruiz, and Jason Rebello. A very good album and HR by A.O.O.F.C. Buy Johannes’ “Painter’s Portrait” album and support good modern fusion. Read an AAJ review of this album @ http://www.allaboutjazz.com/php/article.php?id=32326&width=1024#.UxoE9D8_tb0 [All tracks @ 320 Kbps: File size = 99.2 Mb]
TRACKS
1 Thrill Minute 4:31
2 Another Exit 5:32
3 Quintana Roo 4:09
4 Luna Nueva (Only a Dream) 4:30
5 Splinter 3:52
6 Adrenochrome 3:50
7 Past Tense Pt. 1 0:43
8 Past Tense Pt. 2 4:08
9 Seven Summits 6:08
10 Tierra del Fuego 5:07
All tracks composed by Johannes Zetterberg except Track 7 by Erik Linder
MUSICIANS
Erik Linder: guitars (1-8)
Jonas Isaksson: guitar solo (1)
Calle Stalenbring: guitar solo (5)
Johannes Zetterberg: bass (1-3, 5, 6, 8, 9), keyboards and programming, fretless bass (4, 6, 7)
Arvid Svenungsson: additional keyboards (1-3, 6-8), electric piano (1), synth solo (1, 3, 8), loops (2, 6, 7), synth melody (6)
Jay Oliver: synth solo (2)
Jonathan Fritzen: electric piano (4)
Jason Rebello: piano solo (6)
Otmaro Ruiz: Rhodes and synth solo (9)
Aron Mellergardh: drums, timbales (1, 9), percussion programming (1, 4, 5, 7), percussion loop (2, 3, 7)
Andreas Ekstedt: percussion (3, 6, 8, 9)
Jens Flipsson: alto saxophone (1-5, 8)
Eric Marienthal: alto saxophone (6)
BIO
Johannes Zetterberg (a native of Stockholm, Sweden) was born on November 17, 1985. Growing up in a musical family, he was exposed to a lot of different music at an early age. "Well, being that my father's a countertenor with a soft spot for Oscar Peterson, I guess I quickly learned to appreciate classical music & jazz. On the other hand, there were groups & artists like Stevie Wonder, Earth, Wind & Fire, Michael Jackson, Toto, Chicago & lots of others, all of which I found on my mother's mixtapes. It was like discovering a gold mine with all kinds of cool music, ranging from the hits of the 60's to the boy bands of the 90's! So yeah, it got pretty diverse right from the get-go." He started playing the bass at twelve, and fell in love with the instrument right away. Around the same time he was introduced to the music of Metallica & Yngwie Malmsteen by a friend, and that would turn out to widen his already eclectic taste, adding to the mix groups like Testament, Slayer, At the Gates, Opeth, Anthrax, Dismember, In Flames, Meshuggah, Dark Tranquillity & The Haunted, to name a few. Johannes would later go on to attend Södra Latins Gymnasium's prestigious music program, where he studied with Hjörleifur "Höddi" Björnsson & Robert Sundin. It was during this time that his interest for the fusion genre grew increasingly stronger & began to take up more of his time. Says Johannes: "I really connected with it in a way that I hadn't with any of the previous genres. I mean, I had heard the music of Chick Corea, Return to Forever & Weather Report before, and thought it was good, but I was completely blown away when I discovered Dave Weckl, Allan Holdsworth, The Brecker Brothers, Yellowjackets, Pat Metheny Group, and all that stuff." Based on a mutual love for fusion, and instrumental music overall, Johannes and fellow classmates Aron Mellergårdh, Erik Linder, Arvid Svenungsson & Jonah Nilsson started the group Magnolia. "Yeah, we wrote some songs, but only managed to complete & record one really. It was titled "Seven Peaces" - and yes, it was misspelled intentionally! - but that track was actually influenced more by Emerson, Lake & Palmer & other progressive rock groups that we were listening to at the time, rather than fusion." This project would later evolve into the group Split Vision, with the addition of another classmate, Leonard Malm, on vocals. Heavily influenced by the music of Toto, Jay Graydon, Planet 3, Chicago (and the likes), they gained some slight success in 2006 with the release of their self-titled demo, but would eventually disband as Malm moved to Los Angeles. In 2009, Johannes released his first solo CD "Luna Nueva", a debut that earned him praise from critics, peers & fans alike. Apart from a host of Swedish session musicians, the CD also featured some of Johannes' long-time musical heroes: Jay Oliver (Dave Weckl, Jimmy Buffett, Jay Graydon et al.), Jason Rebello (Sting, Jeff Beck, Wayne Shorter et al.), Otmaro Ruiz (Frank Gambale, Gino Vannelli, John McLaughlin et al.) & Eric Marienthal (Chick Corea Elektric Band, Lee Ritenour, The Rippingtons et al.). At the time of the release, Johannes commented: "Oh man, yeah, having some of my absolute heroes on this CD has been nothing less than a dream come true. If someone had told me 8 years ago that the saxophonist of Chick Corea's freakin' Elektric Band would play on a solo CD of mine... well, let's just say I would've seriously doubted it!! These cats are all super professional & such nice guys, it was a real joy & honor having them on the CD, and I thank them immensely for their contributions. Hopefully we get to work together again soon!" 2011 sees the release of his eagerly-awaited sophomore album "Painter's Portrait". An album that continues where "Luna Nueva" left off, but also adds another level to the music by introducing some new elements (flute, EWI & vocals, among other things). Recorded with the same core group of Swedish musicians featured on "Luna Nueva", this album also includes special guest appearances by Bob Mintzer (Yellowjackets, Jaco Pastorius, Buddy Rich et al.), Brandon Fields (George Benson, Tower of Power, Earth, Wind & Fire et al.), Steve Weingart (Dave Weckl Band, El Grupo, Steve Lukather et al.) & Jason Rebello, who's making a return to the line-up. Currently living in Stockholm, Johannes splits his time between teaching bass & doing session work for various groups & artists. Whenever he's not busy writing, playing or listening to music, he enjoys reading, running, watching movies (big film buff) & sports (ice hockey, preferably). © 2014 Johannes Zetterberg. All Rights Reserved http://www.johanneszetterberg.com/about/
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