Thomas Agergaard - Black Swan [CD]

The Danish alto saxophonist Christina von Bülow has created a very special trio with two jazz masters in their own right: The Swedish bassist Palle Danielsson and the American drummer Eliot Zigmund. Together, they pick up standards from the great songbooks of jazz and make them their unique own creations; like birds singing, never quite repeating the same sound. Thomas Clausen, writer of the liner notes, explains: "The present [album] is all about this element of variation. But also about being natural, playing melodically. And it's an album about interplay! Every bar these musicians play breathe this truth. Some tunes are straight standards. And the presentation of the melody is sometimes straight, as we know it. But it is varied all the time and never feels repetitive." When listening to Christina's playing on the album, you may sometimes be in doubt whether she's improvising or presenting a new melody, based on a familiar song. The truth is sometimes in between! What makes the new album special is a feeling of a collective spirit throughout.