Reprinted here are Nicholas' liner notes from the CD:
Five musicians, five different lives, a brief collaboration for a moment in
time, and a recording - a document if you will. There are many stories behind
the musicians and the music that they make here:
Hadley Caliman, the underground
saxophone legend; Hans Brehmer, the old friend of friends and new friend;
Mark Ivester, the bright spirit with
the subliminal feel for rhythm; and myself,
Nicholas Hoffman, the guitarist with a plan. But perhaps the tale most overtly
significant to the music here is that of Swedish bassist Peter Axelsson and his
travels to the Pacific Northwest.
Peter found me on the Internet, almost a random event in some way,
introduced himself, expressed a desire to meet musicians on an upcoming
trip, and intrigued me with sound bytes from his extraordinary recording
The Natural Way. Peter's music was a breath of fresh air; it had a vitality
and spark that awakened something in me that became a catalyst for
subsequent events.
To make a long story short, some music was played, a collaboration
begun, another trip was planned, a concert, a recording session, a
few passing gigs, a few Northwest microbrews and before you know it,
the dust settled and the five-pointed star dispersed. But not completely.
There remains this recording with which I hope to share some of the
feelings, energy and inspiration of this diverse collection of
musicians, spirits, friends.
A word about the material. As well as contributing a couple of
his originals, Peter brought with him three songs from Swedish composers.
To a large extent they define the character of the recording as they provide
a fresh perspective and sensibility for the quintet to draw upon for their
improvisations.
The title track, Blues for Eddie, is Peter's expression of
gratitude to the late Eddie Boyd, the Chicago blues pianist
with whom Peter played in the late 70's and 80's while Eddie
lived in Helsinki, Finland. Peter tells us, "I was too young
to understand what he was all about, but his loving friendship
will follow me forever."
Gabor's Elephant Dance was written by Lars Färnlöf, one of Sweden's best known composers and trumpet players. For a larger
audience, he may be known for his tune Grandfathers Waltz that
was recorded by Stan Getz.
Pianist Jan Wallgren wrote Chairman of the Bored. A student of
the composer Alan Hovhaness, Jan was an innovative force in Swedish
musical life. He daringly mixed all sorts of music: Swedish folk
music, Indian raga, jazz, classical. Also a successful businessman,
the title refers to Jan's take on his forays into the corporate
world.
Hadley Caliman graciously contributed Gala, a song originally
appearing on his LP Celebration, a 1976 date that included Elvin
Jones and that I sure wish I could find a copy of. I remember
when during rehearsal Hadley unexpectedly told us, "I've got a
tune. It's easy, just two chords." The rhythm section started
to play the song, feeling our way, and then with the entrance
of Hadley's soaring saxophone the room was overwhelmed with a
powerful feeling of spirituality that I can still feel today.
Freight Trane is an old bop line from the great pianist Tommy
Flanagan that initially appeared on the classic 1957
John Coltrane/Kenny Burrell session and is based on the chord
changes to Charlie Parker's even older bop line Blues For Alice.
Swedish pianist Göran Lindberg wrote Eyes of a Child. Inspired
by Bud Powell in the early sixties, he later studied composition
and arranging and became director of jazz studies at the Royal
Academy of Music in Stockholm.
Fried Bananas was penned by Hadley's mentor Dexter Gordon and is
based on It Could Happen to You. Hadley and Dexter lived around
the corner from each other in Los Angeles fifty some years ago...there
is a little window to history lurking here.
Autumn Serenade is a beautiful standard which Hadley taught to
me on the side of a mountain in Hawaii. Johnny Hartman immortalized
its haunting lyrics on his collaboration LP with John Coltrane in 1963.
The final song, Peter's composition That 70's Thing, was written
for this session in the eleventh hour and generated a lot of laughter
from its composer. The title should be self-explanatory upon a listen.
In retrospect it's interesting to note how different the end result
of this project is from my initial conceptions. It's a strong testament
to the collectivity of jazz in general and the synergism of these
musicians in particular.
Nicholas Hoffman
Bellingham, Washington
October, 2001
