Gunhild’s latest album is credited to Gunhild Carling’s Big Band with Strings. There are 20 musicians listed in the big band, six soloists and the strings are provided by the Prague Strings Chamber Orchestra. As for Gunhild herself, this is an album comprised of 100% originals, plus she provides vocals, trumpet, trombone, harp, flute, recorded, harmonica, ukelele and Theremin. This obviously means the album was recorded over a period of time with plenty of tracking, but it never comes across like that but instead sounds as if Gunhild was in a studio with everyone playing at the same time, reacting to her vocals and direction.
This is a more diverse album from ‘Good Evening Cats!’ in that there are times when we are taken back into the 1920’s, which is no surprise given her father’s love of that style, and we move all the way up into the 1950’s, but never beyond. There is the feeling that many of these songs would happily have graced films from that period, when Bing Crosby and The Rat Pack were making their presence felt. As with the other album of hers I have heard, there is a warmth and genuineness within this which takes the listener to another place and time. This does not contain any of the jazz styles which have become popular in the last 60 or 70 years but instead is in a very different time and place and reminds me a lot of the jazz my dad used to play in the car (on 8-track) when I was very young. I am aware that due to those memories I have an emotional connection to this style of music which may not be the same for others, but all I can say is that if you like old time jazz that really swings and grooves when the time is right, and sits back and invites you in at others, then this is for you.
Rating: 8/10
