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Riff-Ola

by

The Swedish Sax Septet

 
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Riff-Ola

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Avg: 4.0 (7 ratings)

Saxes of various sizes tackle Swedish pieces normally played by fiddles.

  • We Say...

    There's something delightfully off-kilter about Riff-Ola. It's not just hearing saxes of various sizes tackle Swedish pieces normally played by fiddles, although that's a treat in itself, but in the way they slide between the formality of the folk melodies and the small jazz improvisations that seem to sneak in before running merrily off again. There's a great good humour to it all, as if the musicians are relishing every second — just listen to "Limping Waltz" to get the idea. They have enough grounding in the tradition to subvert it, as on "Anders Patricks Boogie Polska," which takes the dance form in a totally unexpected midnight bluesy direction. There's a deftness of touch and delightfully complex arrangements, as on the filigreed "The Two-Year Polska," where the lines delicately dance figures around each other. Far more than a novelty, this brings out the loveliness of the old (and new) melodies in a different context.

  • They Say...

    High-latitude smarty pants (including members of Sweden's Absolute Folk Ensemble) take traditional Scandinavian tunes originally played on violins and rearrange them for saxes only, spawning a unique concept of almost-funk. Weird plodding paces and stodgy reeds power songs so far outside the realm of cool, they sneak in through the back door with enough stubborn gumption to stand in for swing. "Mats Berglund's Polska" gropes it way in lurching spirals, the ever-changing title cut flaunts muscular section work, while the rippling "Thaw Tune" meddles with a jazzy bagpipe sound. The song title "A New Simple Polska or Song Tribute to the Beginner's Mind" neatly sums up the septet's theoretical approach to whimsy.

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    Album: Riff-Ola

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