****RINGER OF THE WEEK****Ensemble Edge: Dimma-A Tribute to Jan Johansson

Swedish pianist/composer Jan Johansson (1931-1968) was adept at mixing traditional folk tones and jazz into a rich and unique atmosphere. Conducted by Mathias Skaarup Sorensen, 16 singers from Ensemble Edge join with Calle Brickman/p, Karmen Roivassepp/voc, Matthias Flemming Retri/b, Andreas Fryland/dr, Michala Petri/reco, Martha Marie Petri/cel and Thomas Fryland/fh for a gloriously impressionistic mix of voice, moods and melodies. There are genteel and dreamy blendings of voice with piano and bass on “Visa fran Utanmyra” while Martha Marie Petri’s cello broods under Krisitine Magard’s rich soprano and Michala Petri’s recorder on the Russian folk song of “Mellan Branta Strander”. Karmen Roivassepp scsats over the bouncy “Kvallar I Moskvas forstader” while Magard is ethereal during the Swedish folk tune  “Klockan art io slagen”. The voices hover like a mist on “Visa fran Jarna”, contrasting with the modern jazz voice of Karmen Roivassepp on “Stepp, min stepp”. Even if you’re not Scandinavian, there is a timelessness and unifying folkishness that will touch your roots, no matter how shallow they’ve been planted.

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