Rob Price
Gutbrain Records
rob + gutbrain.com = email

2013 October 09 • Wednesday

Here is yet another (another!) great record to come out this year.

I love Tonbruket. They're a Swedish jazz quartet led by Dan Berglund, who played bass in the Esbjörn Svensson Trio. My very good friend Mikael gave me their second CD as a present and it thrilled me. I also liked their first CD though the two albums are fairly similar.

Their third record, Nubium Swimtrip, is a significant development of their aesthetic: groovy and ethereal, eclectic and exotic, jazz and rock—whatever they want to play, I guess. (Isn't that what all musicians should be playng?)

As before, there's a mix of sway or stomp tunes with meditative and melancholic numbers. The difference with this new album is that the group sounds like they have more freedom. Song form doesn't contain them. They go where they want to go and they're smart enough, skilled enough and musical enough to keep it together.

It also sounds like their touring schedule inspired them. There's a "road" momentum to many of the tunes as well as some international flavors in the arrangements and instrumentation. And as usual Johan Lindström's guitar playing is wonderful!