Jan Johansson & Rune Gustafsson - When The Sun Comes Out (2014)

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Jan Johansson & Rune Gustafsson - When The Sun Comes Out (2014)

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Two CD set containing recordings from two of Sweden's most respected musicians. More than four decades since his passing, composer, arranger and musician Jan Johansson remains a monumental figure on the Swedish music and cultural scene. a gifted pianist, his detailed, crystal clear style is instantly recognizable. There is melancholic quality in Johansson's best work that is at once profoundly joyful. It's a marvelous sound. a truly singular musical voice that is still being celebrated. His masterpiece, JAZZ PA SVENSKA (Jazz in Swedish), features the most exquisite jazz arrangements of traditional folk tunes and is by some distance the best-selling Swedish jazz record of all time. WHEN THE SUN COMES OUT begins with Jan Johansson's first recordings as leader in 1956, and goes on to combine some incredible early sixties recordings of his famous trio with some of his collaborations of the period with the brilliant Swedish guitarist Rune Gustafsson; ultra rare recordings including the album YOUNG GUITAR: THE ARTISTRY OF RUNE GUSTAFSSON, an EP of guitar duets Rune and Jan recorded together, and another extended play as the Runestones, a playful pastiche of the twangy guitar school that was predominant at the time. (amazon)

His masterpiece, Jazz p Svenska (Jazz in Swedish), features the most exquisite jazz arrangements of traditional folk tunes and is by some distance the best-selling Swedish jazz record of all time. It's extraordinary mood seems almost to encompass Swedishness, indeed it almost seems that every household in the country owns a copy of this legendary long-player. Johansson evolved quickly both as a composer and pianist through the late ''50s and 60s. In retrospect he seems far ahead of the standards of the time but we can only guess where his developing style might have taken him, his death at the age of just 37 in an automobile accident near Stockholm's Arlanda airport in November 1968 was a tragic loss. When the Sun Comes Out begins with Jan Johansson's first recordings as leader in 1956, and goes on to combine some incredible early sixties recordings of his famous trio with some of his collaborations of the period with the brilliant Swedish guitarist Rune Gustafsson; ultra rare recordings including the album Young Guitar: The Artistry of Rune Gustafsson, an EP of guitar duets Rune and Jan recorded together, and another extended play as The Runestones, a playful pastiche of the twangy guitar school that was predominant at the time. (amazon)