Over the last decade or so I have reviewed Carsten’s solo albums, having first come across him when he was working with Robin Taylor, and I have always enjoyed his wonderful sax playing combined in multiple different styles. Here we find him moving into instrumental lounge jazz, accompanied by guitarist John Sund (who also provides synths and Rhodes, and has also worked with Taylor) along with Jeppe Gram on drums and Henrik West on bass. There is an easy familiarity between the musicians, and the result is something which is very easy to listen to indeed – this is not music which needs close concentration or work to enjoy, very different indeed to much of the jazz I listen to from choice.
I normally head towards the avant garde and improvised, so to listen to something which is so gentle and soothing is quite refreshing. Carsten is of course not the first saxophonist to work in this area, with Kenny G being the most popular, but what I really enjoyed about this album was the lightness of touch, and the impression that this is still direction here even though it may be in a somewhat more muffled and indirect format. Listen closely and one can hear some wonderful bass styles in the background, and the arrangements have been positioned so one can just fall for the lead instrument (often sax but sometimes keyboards), yet there is also a great deal going on in the background. For me this means I can listen to this more as a “normal” jazz album as opposed to something which has been smothered out of existence, and playing this is a warming and uplifting experience.
Rating: 7/10
