Born: October 7 Primary Instrument: Vocal
Let It Go, Emma Larsson’s latest release on Imogena Records, is a collection of vivid, self-penned pieces. As a young Scandinavian, Larsson inevitably has a strong interest in form and aesthetics. It means that the stretch of her interests and influences is global, but her viewpoint is strongly individual. The make up of her current Quintet reflects this global spread. From New York's jazz scene is pianist Benito Gonzalez. On the Scandinavian side are Finns Joonathan Rautio playing saxophone and Jukkis Uuotila on drums, and from Sweden, Christian Spering on bass. Specific influences are hard to pinpoint, but in her effort to integrate musical ideas with explicit vocalised themes Larsson draws on traditions of American jazz more than any other. Apart from Afro Blue, all the tunes are her own and it was only in the final collation of the songs that an element of unity in their themes emerged. Separation, emotional distress and recovery are a familiar trilogy, but here they are an interesting aside to a selection of music that itself covers many bases ” from her borrowing of Coltrane's crisp, nervy approach to Afro Blue, to her own slinky, introspective Overtime. The tunes include a broad selection of traditional mainstream jazz vocal, but with an emphasis on Larsson's own touching, melancholic musings, and a strong element of contemporary musicality. Over the course of the album there is a hint of comedy, at others of anger, frustration, just the way a singer-songwriter should be telling us. The range of tunes is something of an emotional roller- coaster, but to crown the sequence the final track is a live version of her first album’s title song, Irie Butterflies. Recorded with her quintet in Helsinki, here we are left in no doubt: Larsson is celebrating life with every ounce of her existence.
All About Jazz
Primary Instrument:
Vocal
Willing to teach:
Intermediate to advanced students
Credentials/Background:
Teaching all levels.
