Jazzland Sessions – “Saturday Session” (1999)

This live recording is a perfect example of capturing a musical performance that can only happen once because all the right elements were at the right place at the right time. Unfortunately, only about half of the actual concert is present on the album, but still, what is there is a remarkable mix of improvised jazz-funk by performers in total control of their craft, just letting the groove guide them wherever it might go.

I’m not really sure how all this came about, the mix of musicians from the band D’Sound (Jonny Sjo – bass, Kim Ofstad – drums, Simone – vocals), combined with Bugge Wesseltoft (keys), Mark Ledford (trumpet, vocals) and DJ Olle Abstract is a strange one, but somehow it works as a cohesive whole guided by the rhythm tracks laid down by the DJ and Bugges melodies.

The four tracks (or turns as they are called here) are all around the 15 minute mark except the last one which clocks in at a “mere” eight minutes – clear indicators of the improvisational nature of the music – captured with a pristine and distinctly modern sound that really conveys the vibe present and the communication between the musicians and the audience.

What I find most surprising about this recording is that the main performers (Bugge and D’Sound) are all solid artists in their own right, but I often find their other studio releases rather anemic and sometimes lacking in enthusiasm and raw energy, but here, all that is a non-issue, it all just comes together like this was how they were always meant to use their combined musical skills.

This album has become so obscure that you are lucky if you can acquire a used copy on eBay, and because of that, you can download it directly from here. If anyone finds a way to legally purchase the album, or for some other reason it should be removed, please let us know asap.

Download link: Jazzland Sessions – “Saturday Session” (106MB zip).

Homepage: Jazzland Recordings

Purchase & audio samples: Not available – this album is out of print.