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Oddjob
Oddjob: Folk
by Karl Ackermann
Having been commissioned by Swedish Radio in the early 1960s, Jazz på Svenska (Jazz in Swedish) (Megafon Records, 1964) became--and remains--the best-selling jazz recording in that country. The spare interpretations of early Swedish folk tunes was rendered by pianist Jan Johansson and bassist Georg Riedel. More than fifty years later, that country's quintet, Oddjob, mines those historical records once more on Folk. Not widely recognized in the US, Oddjob's personnel are not without ties to well-known western artists. ...
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by Dan McClenaghan
In the mood for a snifter of schnapps, a kick back in the easy chair and a night soaking in some Swedish folk songs, tunes centered, for the most part, around the tradition of herding and goat calling? Aside from the schnapps part, that may seem like a lame idea, but the very progressive Swedish jazz/rock group, Oddjob, dug deep into their homeland's recorded archives and took away the inspiration that resulted in this marvelous and uniquely modern recording, Folk. ...
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by James Pearse
With five diversely themed full-length albums (all Grammy-nominated) under its collective belt, it was anyone's guess as to where Swedish jazz ensemble Oddjob would take its music next. Oddjob's last release Clint (ACT, 2010) saw the quartet rework, reimagine and 'jazzify' classic Western themes by Ennio Morricone, Lalo Schifrin, et al. JAZZOO (Headspin Recordings, 2013) also works on a fairly familiar theme--this time that of jazz for kids--but does it with such gusto and inventiveness that there's something ...
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by John Kelman
There's something a little otherworldly about Swedish jazz-rockers Oddjob. While there's an unmistakably retro feel to Sumo, its third release and first to receive widespread distribution, there's a strange, futuristic skew to its groove-happy roots in '60s and '70 soul jazz that keeps the music slightly off-kilter.
The members of Oddjob have clearly done their homework. Drummer Janne Robertson opens the album with a New Orleans Second Line-style solo, Kingston," before the group enters for the ...
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by Chris May
Swedish band Oddjob have been together since 2002, ploughing a melodic and groove-centric furrow built on the electric jazz-fusion of the 1970s, and staying the right side of ambient" thanks to the brio and creativity which they bring to the music. On Sumo--their fourth album and ACT debut--the band have widened their sights to include funk, rare groove, chill-out and late 1960s psychedelic rock. It's a sonorous and playful mixture which is practically guaranteed to raise the listener's spirits.
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Oddjob: Koyo
by Dan McClenaghan
Koyo opens with a metronome groove, featuring speaker-shaking bass, wurlitzer splashes and unison trumpet/sax lines over a slapping, loose-jointed percussion, on Their Song"... very modern-sounding, reminscent of the Marcus Miller/Miles Davis collaborations Tutu and Amandla. Malmo-Lund" brings a more mainstream, up-tempo sound to the mix on an up-and-down-the-scale piano riff; and it's hard to take your ears off the drummer, Janne Robertson, with his propulsive shuffle that injects some organic juice into the band's otherwise tight sound. Machine Man" takes ...
read moreOddjob - Clint (ACT, 2010) ***a1/2
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Free Jazz by Stef Gijssels
By Joe Higham I should say that even though I only rated this album with three and a half stars I have no hesitation in recommending it. Unfortunately on a blog like this we receive so much cutting edge and boundary pushing music that a band like Oddjob is a little out of place, but maybe only stylistically. Oddjob is a band that has already made several CDs well received by critics and fans alike. Like such groups as 'Kneebody,' ...
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