Grammofon: ‘Fabelagtige Forviklinger’

Danish duo Grammofon are set to release ‘Fabelagtige Forviklinger’ (‘Fabulous Entanglements’) on 24 April: it’s a collection of original tunes that are full of Nordic takes on jazz from around the world.

Led by composers Niels Oldin (sax, clarinet and bass clarinet) and Jakob Frandsen (guitar), the Grammofon sound is enhanced by Torben Westergaard (bass guitar) and Victor Dybbroe (percussion).

There is a lightness to Fabulous Entanglements, with the sax and guitar combination working perfectly as they weave in and around each other.

I’m old-fashioned in my approach to albums, and I like to listen in the order the musicians have selected to present their tunes. Starting with Backwards, the compositions that make up Fabulous Entanglements allow the leaders to be both entangled and separate at the same time. It’s also helpful to know that the musicians played in the same room, recorded by the sea at producer John Formsgaard’s studio on the Danish island of Møn. The almost live nature of the album is quite deliberate and considered.

Oldin’s bass clarinet on Ferdinand works beautifully with Frandsen’s guitar. Lush, melancholy notes intertwine with the guitar lines. All the while, sitting atop the light and dextrous bass and percussion of Westergaard and Dybbroe.

Throughout the album, the breathy sax plays along seemingly effortlessly in fabulous entanglements with the acoustic guitar - the live recording provides a depth and collaborative sense. The final track - Moonflow - brings that collaboration to a delightful and hopefully temporary conclusion.

Check out Grammofon’s ‘Fabelagtige Forviklinger’ (‘Fabulous Entanglements’) from 24 April on Zack’s Music