Jazz

Viktoria Tolstoy & Jacob Karlzon – A Moment Of Now (2013)

2015-07-02T19:33:44Z

Viktoria Tolstoy & Jacob Karlzon – A Moment Of Now (2013)


1.    I Can Let Go Now
2.    Deep River
3.    Red Rain
4.    A Moment of Now
5.    Against All Odds
6.    Hand in My Pocket
7.    Taking It All Too Hard
8.    Lessons in Love
9.    Shadow and Light
10.    Satisfied
11.    A Concentrate on You
12.    Scent of Snow
13.    Send One Your Love
14.    Northern Star

Viktoria Tolstoy - Vocals
Jacob Karlzon - Steinway grand piano, pump organ, celesta, Fender Rhodes
Jocke Bergstrom - Vocals (track 13)

Viktoria Tolstoy is Swedish but is also the great, great granddaughter of the renowned Russian novelist, Leo Tolstoy. On this album she sings material drawn from the worlds of pop music, jazz and even classical music. She is accompanied by Jacob Karlzon who also composed the music for one of the songs, Scent of Snow.

First time around, I wasnt altogether convinced by the choice of songs on the album. Tolstoy and Karlzon have been a team for almost fifteen years and selected these particular tunes, some because they were familiar and appealing, others because they were new and represented a fresh challenge. On first hearing, I felt that some, at least, were unsatisfactory especially when contrasted with how Viktoria performs Cole Porters I Concentrate on You, the one traditional standard to be found here. Its a convincing rendition, showing what she can do when lyrics and music are of real quality.

Having said that, I found many of the songs grew on me. Viktoria herself has a distinctive voice, jazz-influenced but with more than a touch of soul. She repays repeated listening. She can make the move from a gentle whisper to a more dramatic full-throated sound and she always sings with clarity. Jacob Karlzens style ranges from pensive, sensitive piano to a more punchy accompaniment, where required. I liked his playing particularly on his own composition Scent of Snow, where tune and words make for a happy combination.

What, then, are the highlights? Deep River has a strong tune, well sung by Tolstoy, with Karlzon contributing a meditative solo passage on what is a beautiful theme. Red Rain, a Peter Gabriel original, features good interpretive work by Viktoria and, at times, forceful support by Karlzen. A Moment of Now is an affecting ballad with a sublime Pat Metheny tune and strong lyrics by Anna Alerstedt, to which Viktoria and Jacob do full justice. Against All Odds is a familiar Phil Collins number, again well performed. Hand in My Pocket offers a more upbeat piece and receives a lively showing from both artistes. Lessons in Love is another lovely melody and is rewarded by strong performances.Scent of Snow, already mentioned, is a quirky piece. Karlzon, improvising well, at times put me in mind of the folk tradition. Send One Your Love is a sentimental Stevie Wonder composition where Jocke Bergstrom shares the vocal honours with Tolstoy. The tracks mentioned are those that carried most appeal for me. Others I judge less successful, to varying degrees.

Viktoria has kept good company in the wider jazz world, for instance, McCoy Tyner, Ray Brown and Toots Thielemans. On the strength of this disc, she probably deserves her status as one of Swedens most accessible jazz singers. ---James Poore, musicweb-international.com

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Viktoria Tolstoy - My Swedish Heart (2005)

2015-07-05T15:21:44Z

Viktoria Tolstoy - My Swedish Heart (2005)


1.Grandmas Song 	4:08
2.Mind If I 	4:30
3.From Above 	4:30
4.Dialogue 	3:11
5.You Gave Me The Flow 	4:23
6.Den Första Gang 	4:37
7.Dannys Dreaming 	4:21
8.The Morning Of You 	3:24
9.Mayday	 3:45
10.I Hope It's Spring For You 	4:41
11.Jag Yet En Dejlig Rosa 	4:55

Viktoria Tolstoy – vocals
Jacob Karlzon – piano
Ulf Wakenius – guitar
Lars Danielsson – bass, cello
Christian Spering – bass
Peter Danemo – drums, percussion

Viktoria Tolstoy isn't the only Sweden-based jazz artist who has provided both a Swedish-themed album and a Russian-themed album. In the 1960s, acoustic pianist Jan Johansson was inspired by Sweden's musical contributions on Jazz På Svenska ("Jazz for Sweden") and by Russia's musical contributions on Jazz På Ryska ("Jazz for Russia"). Tolstoy, similarly, has used jazz to acknowledge Sweden on My Swedish Heart and Russia on My Russian Soul. But while the late Johansson was an instrumentalist, Tolstoy is very much a singer -- and on My Swedish Heart, she uses both lyrics and melodies to pay tribute to Swedish jazz artists. Many talented jazz improvisers have come from Sweden over the years; thus, no one can realistically expect a 46-minute CD like My Swedish Heart to salute every important Swedish jazz musician who ever lived. This is a CD, not an encyclopedia. But Tolstoy shows good taste, putting her spin on pieces by baritone saxophonist Lars Gullin ("I Hope It's Spring for You," "Danny's Dreaming"), bassist Anders Jormin ("Mayday"), pianist Esbjörn Svensson ("The Morning of You," "Dialogue"), and others. The fact that this 2005 release celebrates the Swedish jazz scene doesn't mean that Tolstoy pretends to be a jazz purist. Although acoustic-oriented post-bop is the album's primary ingredient, Tolstoy sometimes detours into folk, Euro-classical, and cabaret territory. But she does so tastefully, and achieves a healthy amount of diversity without forgetting that Swedish jazz is the theme of this outing -- which is fairly unpredictable, but is also focused and coherent. My Swedish Heart is among the strongest albums in Tolstoy's catalog. --- Alex Henderson, Rovi

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Viktoria Tolstoy – Letters to Herbie (2011)

2011-09-03T08:31:41Z

Viktoria Tolstoy – Letters to Herbie (2011)


01 – Trust me
02 – Textures
03 – I Thought it was you
04 – Chan’s Song
05 – Butterfly
06 – Come Running to me
07 – Give it all Your Heart
08 – Letter to Herbie			play
09 – Paradise
10 – Chemical Residue
11 – Tell me a Bedtime Story
12 – Naima					play
13 – Come on, Come Over

Musicians:
Viktoria Tolstoy - vocals
Jacob Karlzon - piano, keyboards
Krister Jonsson - guitars
Mattias Svensson - bass
Rasmus Kihlberg - drums
+
special guests:
Nils Landgren - trombone & vocals
Magnus Lindgren – woodwinds

“Herbie Hancock is one of the last giants of jazz. The pianist and composer at the prolific career has never hit stylistic barriers, dealing with equal success in jazz, rock, pop, electro and even . They reinvented the great albums of pop standards, with the participation of world stars such as Santana, Sting, Christina Aguilera, Pink. It is this versatility and never quenched the thirst of music that appeals from an early age the singer Swedish Viktoria Tolstoy. This tribute crystallized precisely in 2004 when she shared the stage with the master and Wayne Shorter. a memorable dinner ensued, marking the beginning of a friendship between the Swedish and mentor. faced with bloated catalog of the pianist, Tosltoy chose to remove the “tubes” of Hancock and focus on securities of different periods, with the pride of the period left to funky ’80s (“I Thought It Was You “” Give It All Your Heart “), plus some classics like” Butterfly “and” Naima, “the theme of Coltrane taken brilliantly by Hancock in 2002. Driven by the beautiful tone and voice of Tolstoy’s elastic, these securities are transcended by the expert work done by Nils Landgren-level arrangements. note also the beautiful and solid colors developed by the faithful pianist Viktoria, Jokob Karlzon and brass parts played and arranged by Magnus Lindgren. “

Louise Viktoria Tolstoy (born Louise Viktoria Kjellberg July 29, 1974 in Sigtuna Municipality, Stockholm County) is a Swedish jazz singer. She is the daughter of Erik Kjellberg, and the great-great-granddaughter of writer Leo Tolstoy. She is a highly celebrated and respected international jazz vocalist and her numerous success stories are all a product of this explosive natural supertalent.

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