Contemporary Jazz, especially in the last ten years, has seen numerous exciting artists worldwide bringing to "the game" fresh ideas and hugely entertaining new sonic combustions, enriching and expanding, in this way, the definition of Contemporary Jazz to a more cosmopolitan level.
A collective that has certainly made a solid contribution to the growth of Contemporary Jazz, since their 2013's debut album Das Taxibat, is the Swedish group called Daniel Karlsson Trio, a hugely talented ensemble of musicians whose artistic path has been followed closely by our website, through the last few years and that includes the band leader Daniel Karlsson on piano, Fredrik Rundqvist on drums and Christian Spering on double bass.
Unanimously appreciated for their constant will to explore new uncharted Jazz territories through their exceptional individual musicianship and improvisational skills. the Daniel Karlsson Trio has always accomplished, on their records, a rather fascinating and unique sonic blend that incorporates the colours and the landscapes of beautiful Sweden, together with the rich personality and individuality of each of the musicians part of the Swedish Trio.
Now at their 9th album (if we want to include, in their discography, the album compilation So Far and their 2022's EP Climbing The Ladder too) just released and called Sorry Boss, the Daniel Karlsson Trio thought of chiseling a record that would be a sort of Concept Album, aimed at describing a normal day at work of an individual, instrumentally narrated through the 8 compositions included in this interesting and, undoubtedly, inspired album.
The first feeling that emerges almost immediately off Sorry Boss, besides the album cover that sees the three musicians wearing smart office clothes in an imaginary working environment. it is the incredible, spotless interplay between Karlsson, Spering and Rundqvist, an interplay that, no matter where the musical piece goes, always sees the three musicians finding themselves almost by magic and fitting, musically, between one another tightly and neatly, like a perfect sonic puzzle.
Sorry Boss sees also the Trio embracing, at times, layers of Fusion in their Jazz formula, layers that add an even more palatable taste to their compositions, especially in pieces like Heaven Or Elsewhere and Happy Hour, among others.
The Daniel Karlsson Trio new record is also an absolute feast of musicianship and remarkable musical intuitions for any Jazz lover. Daniel Karlsson on piano is absolutely delightful to listen to, no matter whether he gently indulges himself on piano in that little musical gem called Confidential Document or let it a bit more loose, like he and the Trio so superbly do on a track like the swaggering Happy Hour.
Fredrik Rundqvist on drums and Christian Spering on double bass are, in our opinion, the perfect "Sound Mediators" of the Trio, with, at times, either through Runqvist's metronomic drumming, so precise and composed or through Spering's imaginative and sweetly melancholic sound, generating a balance that level wonderfully the sonic dualism that may occur, in turn, between either Karlsson and Spering or between Rundqvist and Karlsson, particularly on tunes such as Pigeons On The Wire or the album's opener Bus Stop Story.
Frankly, the Daniel Karlsson Trio has never sounded better than in their new Sorry Boss album, although, truth to be told, the band's phenomenal musicianship has always grown constantly, through the years and with each passing record.
Sorry Boss is the ultimate expression of a gifted band like Daniel Karlsson Trio at the peak of their form, a band that plays and means every note of their fabulous music with every possible inch of passion, intention, harmony and soul. A truly splendid record.
Sorry Boss is out now and can be purchased via Bandcamp
