Record Reviews

KARMEN ROIVASSEPP ~ DANCE OF SOUNDS AMP 025 (Barcode: 662578831181) ~ ESTONIA ~ Jazz Recorded: 2017 Released: 2018 This is the debut album by Estonian (resident in Denmark) vocalist / composer Karmen RoivasseppFind albums by this artist and her quartet which also includes pianist Simon EskildsenFind albums by this artist, bassist Adrian ChristensenFind albums by this artist and drummer Daniel SommerFind albums by this artist. A couple of musicians guest on one track each. The album presents eight songs, six composed by Roivassepp (two featuring her lyrics), one by Eskildsen and one is a standard. The songs are sung in Estonian and English. The music is classic melody based mainstream Jazz, but definitely not trivial due to the high level of the compositions, which are well structured and harmonically coherent. The piano trio supports the singer beautifully and plays some excellent instrumental passages, with Eskildsen demonstrating his magic touch on the keyboards. The vocals are fine but hardly innovative or exceptional. Roivassepp has a good voice, but lacks probably the experience Jazz vocals are usually based upon. I am sure she will improve significantly over time, and if she keeps writing such great songs as those on this album, her future prospects are all positive. Her singing in Estonian is way better than in English, which is of course the persisting problem with singers not singing in their native language. Overall this is a very good debut album, which Roivassepp can be proud of, especially on the compositional level. I am already eagerly waiting to hear her next album.

Updated: 04/10/2018Posted: 04/10/2018

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SOMMER / HENRIKSEN / LUNDBERG ~ SOUNDS & SEQUENCES APRIL 137 (Barcode: 5709498113722) ~ DENMARK ~ Jazz-Ambient Fusion Recorded: 2022 - 2023 Released: 2024 This is an album by Scandinavian Jazz trio, comprising of Danish drummer / composer Daniel SommerFind albums by this artist, Norwegian trumpeter Arve HenriksenFind albums by this artist and Swedish bassist Johannes LundbergFind albums by this artist. Henriksen and Lundberg also use electronics. The album presents eleven tracks, which are not specifically credited and are largely improvised. The music is an amalgam of Ambient soundscapes, Scandinavian climates and Jazz improvisations, excellently performed by the trio members, and quite interesting, especially to listeners of Ambient-Jazz Fusion. The music develops slowly and requires a relaxed attitude and patience, but can be quite entertaining. Personally I find it a bit too sluggish in the long run, but that is largely mood dependent I suppose. Henriksen is an excellent trumpeter, whose work I am familiar with from other recordings, and his performances are obviously the focus of the music. Overall, this is quite experimental, moody and slowly developing Ambient music with strong Jazzy ties, which is definitely worth investigating for listeners of such climates. Nor exactly my cup of poison, but I can surely respect the talent involved.

Updated: 17/02/2026Posted: 17/02/2026

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