Nils Berg Cinemascope - Vocals

Nils Berg Cinemascope - Vocals

Verdict: 5/5
Label

Hoob Records

CATALOG NO

HOOBCD038

RELEASE DATE

February 2014

Written By

Johan Neij

Published

February 1, 2015

One of the most original music experiences coming out of the creative Swedish independent jazz scene over the last couple of years have been Nils Berg Cinemascope.

Cleverly intermingling their very own personal music with Youtube videos featuring amateur musicians from all over the globe. Low budget video clips, often filmed with simple cell phone camera, uploaded for personal amusement by the original creators, that multi-instrumentalist Nils Berg have come across online and felt inspired by. The videos are then edited with care by Berg, one may say sampled, and incorporated into a new context wherein Berg and his two compadres use hooks and parts of the original performances and add their own masterful musicianship to create new music.

The trio's latest effort is a 34 minute movie, "Vocals", where the meta perspective is further elevated. The group play along with their multitude of "guest vocalists", captured on different viewing devices, on random locations around the southern Stockholm neighborhood Hornstull; beside a football court, in a pizza restaurant, an emptied swimming-pool, on a pier among other places. I happen to be a Stockholm resident myself, and I just love the way they have portrayed this area, where I too have spent a lot of time as I live nearby.

Nils Berg, mainly operating bass clarinet, tenor sax and flute, has such a sensitive tone like no other reed player that I've ever heard. Whenever he is showing up in a setting, which he have done quite a lot during the last ten years since his breakthrough, he is immediately recognizable. His playing and writing has always had a soundtrack - ish feel, which makes the concept of his Cinemascope project the perfect marriage. You may perhaps grasp inspiration from a certain Nino Rota, composer of many Fellini flicks, as well as echoes of legendary pianist Jan Johansson's folkloristic jazz adaptions.

The soundtrack to "Vocals" is thankfully also available on CD, from Berg's and his equally talented bass player Josef Kallerdahl's own imprint Hoob Records. I would say the music definitely stands alone without its accompanying film, and it is probably the album that I've returned to most often during the last year. Completing the trio is phenomenal percussionist Christopher Cantillo, another mainstay on Stockholm's jazz scene of today.

Nils Berg Cinemascope's 2011 debut album "Popmotion" is also highly recommendable, with perhaps even stronger material and the same concept of Youtube sampling. On their first effort they focused more on instrumental contributions rather than the vocal based performances of the later.

It should be noted that Berg and his crew has taken great effort to locate and contact the original up loaders and artists to grant their approval of contribution. Prior to the printing of their debut album's artwork (in the shape of a foldable poster) they made a public announcement to their followers on Facebook, expressing that they literally had been able to get in touch with nearly everyone they sampled on the album. Quite an achievement since we are speaking of performances from as disparate locations as India, Ghana and Japan and elsewhere.

Paradoxically they had succeeded to get in contact with everyone but one featured guy; a street musician filmed on location outside the Royal Castle of Nils Berg's own home town of Stockholm!? In a final attempt to get a hold of this then anonymous cimbalom player, that they had sampled on the album's opening track, "Marlon", before going to press they begged their friends and followers in Stockholm to help and keep an eye out for him. In the very last minute a friend of mine bumped into the wanted man as he was performing in the subway. His name was Aurel Feraru and he was of Romanian origin. Not only did he approved to get his credits and potential royalties of the participation but he has later also performed with Nils Berg on a few occasions.

A fine example of how music has the magical power to integrate people from all over the globe. More info on the official website; buy it from here.
--

* thanks to Johan / Jono's Audio Delights

Tracklist:

1. Pashto Love
2. Tensta - Malmö
3. Jab Jab Bahaar Aayee
4. Oodhni
5. Mitshe Dina
6. Another Side of Irish Music
7. Furusato