All Categories — All Formats  

An excellent bit of funky work from Sweden's Oddjob – a group that are looming large on the international club jazz scene! Oddjob work in the same vein as groups like Hipnosis and Honeymuch – playing real jazz, but with a dancefloor twist – taking bits of classic Blue Note, European modal, and soul jazz, and wrapping them up with a tight rhythmic finish that's perfect for the modern jazz dance set! This album's even better than the group's first, and features some nice electric piano on a few cuts – with titles that include "Their Song", "Man Machine", "I Am Sailing", and "Leadhead".

In case you haven't noticed lately, the Scandinavian scene's blowing up large – and for good reason! As this set nicely documents, there's a rich array of great groups up north – groundbreaking combos with one ear towards the jazzy riffs of 70s European jazz – bringing more life and light into their work than previous Scandinavian electronicists – and creating tracks that are especially appealing to our classics-steeped ears! The feel here is tremendous – with a classic/modern counterpoint that rivals the best on Compost or Schema – and which has the added influence of decades of Scandinavian fusion, funk, modal jazz, and vocalese! Titles include "Trading Eights" by Five Corners Quintet, "Marinade" by Kahuun, "Noisuf (raw jazz take)" by Stockholm Cyclo, "Open The Door" by Elsa, "I Love You My Friends" by Hird, "Kovin Lentaen Kotin Kaipaan" by Kuusumun Profeetta, "Good & Bad" by Povo, "Logic Of Space" by Iony, and "Bloodstream" by Oddjob.