Ellas Kapell: ‘Ember’

I never quite know what to expect when I see a new release from Prophone Records, the independent jazz label, but it’s always high quality music with a Swedish twist, and that is certainly true of ‘Ember’, the fourth album from Ellas Kapell.

I can’t remember the last time I heard a new recording of Bill Evans’s Very Early, but it was worth the wait for this version that kicks off Ember. Vocals and ensemble playing are equally delightful, with Carol Hall’s lyrics brought to life by Lovisa Jennervall and a beautiful piano solo from Manne Skafvenstedt.

Ember was self-produced  - recording, production and mixing - and it feels as if Ellas Kapell has collectively discovered their sound in these versions of often memorable jazz standards with their own creative interpretations of such songs as I Didn’t Know What Time it Was and All the Things You Are. Formed a decade ago, Ellas Kapell is Lovisa Jennervall (voice), Manne Skafvenstedt (piano, synths), August Eriksson (double and electric bass), and Edvin Glänte (drums, percussion).

The final track on Ember speaks volume of the benefits of this ownership of the quartet’s sound: I Fall In Love Too Easily takes the Jule Styne/Sammy Cahn classic and blends acoustic and electronic sounds in a genuinely wonderful rendition.

This is a collection of tunes performed brilliantly with a Scandinavian jazz touch that is perfect to warm the cold winter evenings, wherever you are in the world.

Ember is released on Prophone Records and distributed by Naxos on 27 February 2026.