Förra helgen bjöds det på något unikt i Stallet på Ryfors, när Nina Ehrenstråle från Jensens New Orleans Band framförte sina särpräglade visslingar. Mullsjö Jazz serie med sommarmusik i Stallet på Ryfors fortsatte förra helgen med en koncert av Jensens New Orleans Band. Bandet startade i Nyhavn som en trio och växte så småningom till ett traditionellt jazzband. Bandet består av Kurt Jensen, klarinett och tenorsax, Nina Ehrenstraale, banjo, sång och vissling, Nan Ehrenstraale, kontrabas, Erling Rasmussen, piano och sång och Hans Ingelstam, trombon. Orkestern spelar i gammal New Orleansstil, men kollektiv improvisation som särprägel.
Unik vissling. Åhörarna i den nästan fullsatta lokalen fick vara med om något unikt. Här spelades mjuk, melodisk och följsam musik, som passade publiken perfekt, som ett skräddarsytt plagg. Nina Ehrenstraales särpräglade vissling satte extra krydda på framträdandet. -Många undrar om jag har något i munnen när jag visslar, det har jag inte. Jag har övat och övat och terroriserat min omgivning, sa Nina Ehrenstaale.
Blandat repertoar. I koncerten ingick välkända och mindre kända nummer. Nämnas kan “Välkommen in”, som inledde konserten, “Laughing samba”, “Sail along silvery moon”, “Mack the knife”, “O store Gud”, franska allsången “Eh las bas” och sista låten “No buts, no maybes”. Publiken fick utdelning för sina många applåder och sina stående hyllningar. Bandet gav extranumret “Its a sin to tell a lie”. Det var väl en fin avslutning på sommaren, sa Gun Nilsson när hon tackade orkestern och publiken för kvällen.
Jazz, Shantys und mehr – ein abwechslungsreiches Musikprogramm erobert an diesem Wochenende den Burger Marktplatz. Vor allem Musiker aus dem Nachbarland geben dabei unüberhörbar den Ton an: Jazz aus Dänemark trotzte gestern Vormittag dem anhaltenden Regen. “Jensens Jazz Serenaders” begeisterten auch vor kleinem Publikum mit grosser Spielfreude und viel Charme. Dafür wird das Trio am heutigen Sonntag wahrscheinlich belohnt werden. Denn die Sonne soll auf die Sonneninsel zurückkehren. Um 14 Uhr geben die Dänen noch ein zweites Konzert auf dem Burger Marktplatz – dann hoffentlich aber vor mehr Zuhörern.
Von der Körperbewegung her wesentlich zurückhaltender präsentierte sich Jensens New Orleans Jazz Band vor dem ausverkauften Haus. Filigrane Stücke, die sich nach langsamen Start entwickelten, prägen den vielumjubelten Auftritt der Dänen. Mit dem ersten Lied beginnen die Füsse zu wippen und die Köpfe im Takt zu nicken, als der Kontrabass von Nan Ehrenstraale, der einzigen Schwedin in der Band, einsetzt. Auffällig ist, dass die vier Musiker auf typische Instrumente wie Posaune und Trompete verzichten und auch ohne Schlagzeug auskommen. “Ich habe oft versucht, sie zu einladen. Nun hat es endlich geklappt”, freut sich Organisator Wolfgang Rauls.
Jensens Jazz Serenaders from Denmark were special because three af the members were a family – Kurt Jensen, reeds/vocals; his wife Nan, bass; and daughter Nina, banjo. Brian Carrick (reeds and vocals) is a British friend of the family who often joined Nina (a superb vocalist) for some wonderful duets. Completing the band was Swedish trumpeter Eddie Bruhner, and Ronald Andersen was on drums. PEK recorded this session for a future CD. This band also started with “Algiers Strut” and played 17 numbers including “Bugle Boy March,” “Milenburg Joys,” “I Ate Up The Apple Tree,” and “Crazy.”The driving beat, combined with the tuneful harmonies, made this a special session.
Brian Carrick (clarinet, tenor sax, vocal), Eddie Bruhner (trumpet, vocal), Kurt Jensen (clarinet, tenor sax), Erik Vand Hansen (piano), Nina Ehrenstråle (banjo, vocal), Nan Ehrenstråle (bass), Ronald Andersen (drums)
This CD should go straight to the top of your shopping list – but that’s only, of course, if you absolutely love and crave happy, uncomplicated,bouncing jazz with such an infectious beat that it’s hard to stay in your seat! Adding piquancy to the mix on this excellent Femø Jazz Festival session last year was the fact that Brian Carrick’s almost unique metal clarinet broke before the show and he had to switch to an ‘ordinary’ wooden instrument. Brian’s metal clarinet was originally one (owned, not used) of George Lewis’ and was given to him by a member of George’s family.
Many enthusiasts claim that the fact that Brian’s tone and style are so similar to Lewis’ owes a lot to the instrument itself. His work on this CD puts the lie to that crazy claim. When he chooses, he sounds as much like George as ever, even with the wooden instrument, and I for one welcome that because it’s a wonderful sound and because Brian is no clone, he’s a highly original, natural jazzman with a wonderful talent, who from time to time pays tribute to one of the masters, George. I’d rather have that than no George at all! A further intriguing facet of this session is that both Brian and Kurt Jensen double on clarinet and tenor sax. It’s fun when both play the same instrument working out which is which; you can cheat though, as there’s a track-by-track guide within the liner notes.
So what’s it like? Superb, great fun, very musical, exiting and yet disciplined, with no decents into rabble-rousing histrionics. Let’s try a brief track-by-track guide…(1) Is an Algiers dance hall-type bounce number featuring the two tenors – Carrick is the rhytmic inspiration – super atmospheric trumpet. (2) A good vocal duet between Brian and Nina with Brian also on clarinet. (3) Brian is back on tenor – this is a typical Kid Thomas style New Orleans rock ‘n’ roll number, and that’s OK because many experts claim that rock ‘n’ roll evolvedfrom ‘our’ jazz. On this showing they’re right. (4) A charming Nina vocal, and how unusual to hear the words to this one. Jensen’s backing sax is a little coarse. (5) Good Bruhner vocal and brilliant trumpet, full of ideas and drive – Brian’s little clarinet riffs here are sensationally good. (6) A Carrick vocal with lovely timing and phrasing – he really is natural. (7) Now on this Lewis classic workout, if you remember the Lewis version, (I am presuming that George played metal clarinet on the record?), you can judge the difference between the metal and the wood clarinets. (8) A Nina vocal with lovely, bouncy, sensitive backing. (9) Carrick is here at his rocking, pulsating best on tenor sax. Bruhners vocal is fine, and there’s some excellent and sympathetic piano, as there is on other tracks. (10)A disciplined ‘tear up’ with Brian on clarinet creating some lovely, riff-type figures which push things along and heighten the excitement. Good Nina and Brian vocal. (11) A tribute to George Lewis, but with unique Carrick touches – lovely stuff. (12) A Nina vocal vehicle with outstanding wailing from Carrick in the background, with excellent Bruhner and Jensen on tenor.
I am told that I perhaps too often criticise rhythm sections. This one is fine, light and always creating great cross rhytms. On every number this band gets great things happening, and this is no small way due to the excellent understanding of the idiom by the whole rhytm section, in particular Nina on banjo, who, as Percy Humphrey would say, if he could hear her, “She knows…”
En Jazzmusikalsk oplevelse af format, blev leveret i Præstø Jazzklub tirsdag aften. En totalt fyldt Kirsebærkro oplevede en overmåde veloplagt Jensens New Orleans Jazzband med to stjernesolister Brian Carrick på metalklarinet og tenorsaxofon samt Eddie Bruhner på trompet. Der blev i rigt mål givet prøver på den gode gamle ægte New Orleans Jazz, hvor spilleglæden lyste ud af alle syv musikere. En meget stor nydelse var det at høre banjospilleren Nina Ehrenstråle synge duet med Brian Carrick. Ikke et øje var tørt i en helt stille Kirsebærkro, for alle skulle have det hele med. Og det fik publikum også i to helt forrygende tempo-numre Kid Thomas Boogie og Washington and Lee Swing, hvor også trommeslageren fik vist, at han kan andet end at spille guitar, som egentlig er hans hovedinstrument. For at få den bundsolide swingende baggrund fuldendt må ikke glemmes Nan Ehrenstråle på herlig slap-bas og Erik Vand Hansen på et swingende piano.
Så det var let for kapelmester Kurt Jensen på klarinet og tenorsaxofon at sige ja til en opfordring på et godt gammelt nummer som Royal Garden Blues, selv om det slet ikke var på repertoiret. Men det var St. Phillip Street Breakdown, der med to klarinetter i et helt forrygende flot sammenspil, vel nok fik aftenens største bifald, og det siger ikke så lidt om en aften, der sluttede med stående applaus…
…da Præstø Jazzklub havde besøg af ent overmåde veloplagt Jensens New Orleans Jazzband med de to stjernesolister engelske Brian Carrick på metal klarinet og tenorsaxofon samt svenske Eddie Bruhner på trompet i forgrunden. Der blev i rigt mål givet prøver på den gode gamle ægte New Orleans Jazz, hvor spilleglæden lyste ud af alle syv musikere
Familieorkesteret Jensens Jazz Trio spillede elegant New Orleans jazz under den første del af spisningen. Nina (banjo & vokal) og Nan (bass) Ehrenstraale samt far Kurt Jensen, der spillede klarinet og tenorsax udgør denne trio. Jazzinformation
Comment: This is very much a showcase for Nina Ehrenstraale the vocalist with this quartet with only four of the tracks being instrumentals. She has a pleasant voice with a strong Scandinavian accent and has been very popular in this country at Festivals where the band has appeared.
Brian Carrick, for some years, has been a regular guest of Kurt Jensen. It is not unusual in our music to find two clarinets fronting a band, but it does take some doing. This is no Mezzrow/Bechet show, just two competent lovers of New Orleans music leading a band through a traditional tune list. The soaring ensembles are a joy and the recording has just the right amount of echo, giving the the recording a good 3D effect…The three tunes chosen for this compilation are familiar, and judging by the sound of the congregation, well recieved.