Tommy Crona Jazz Trio

SACD32001

 

 Reflections
This album is called Reflections, and it is my first solo album.
Here are some reflections of my life

As a youngster I started listening to pop music such as The Who and The Animals. When I was around 12 years old I began playing classical music. My favorites then (and today) were Bartok and Chopin.

After a couple of years I started getting in to blues and jazz artists, like Ramsey Lewis. In 1967 I discovered Miles Davis' album "Four and More", and that album really blew my mind! The pianist, Herbie Hancock, was one of the best I have ever heard, and he still is. From that day I was completely into jazz.

I studied at different music schools in Stockholm and my intention was to join The Royal Academy of Music in Sweden. But in those days there was no real jazz education there - it was more or less the path to becoming a music teacher, and that was something I was not interested in. Instead I started playing with different bands and spent years playing gigs all around Sweden.

Later on I got into the car business which is where I spent most of my working life. A couple of years ago, as I retired, I decided to get back into music.
I started playing a lot again and I've done several concerts - playing in churches, different jazz clubs etc.

Chick Corea has also become one of my favorite pianists and has always been a great inspiration to me. I began listening to him in the early 70's. When his album "Return to Forever" was released, it was a true milestone; a new way of playing electric piano. I've followed his career over the years, attending many of his concerts locally and abroad. It's very sad to know that he passed away.

In this album I have included two of his songs. They are not very well known, but beautiful songs of Chick Corea.

"Mirror, Mirror, is a jazz waltz. It goes round an around, like a mirror house in an amusement park.

Then we have "Bud Powell", which is a straight forward jazz tune dedicated to the wonderful pianist Bud Powell.

Then there are songs of Monk, of Bernstein and also some jazz standards.

The last song of this CD is a traditional Swedish tune called "Visa från Utanmyra". This song became well known after Jan Johansson's great interpretation. I have rearranged the song to be in 3/4 time signature and with different harmonis.

Last but not least, a big thank you to my great fellow musicians Hans and Jesper. They are wonderful to work with. Their engagement, routine and touch of perfect made it easier for me to do this recording.


Tommy Crona

  

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Lars Erstrand Quartet

LP9101

 

 Dream Dancing
Proud? You bet I am!

It has been my good fortune to take part in more than 60 jazz albums since my first one, in March 1964. Most of these recordnings were made in Sweden, but some took place in New York (USA), Stuttgart (Germany), Monster (Holland), Copenhagen (Denmark) and Helsinki (Finland).

Taking part in recording with professional jazz musicians is a wonderful feeling, but at the same time quite a challenge. One never really knows what is going to happen. This kind of music is based on "happenings" - so you'd better be on the ball!

This particular day, 22nd February 1991, I arrived for the recording session at Jakobsberg, on the outskirts of Stockholm, feeling extra confident. I knew for sure that, if we could come up with some good versions, the recording quality would be nothing but the best, thanks to Jan-Eric Persson, a very special recording engineer with a warm feeling for the "true sound". That is one reason why I've stuck with him ever since August 1979, when I did my first session for him at Opus3.

Another reason for my feeling so secure was , of course, Kjell Öhman, my favourite pianist. Added to which I am sure I am not the only one to rate him one of the very best organ players anywhere on earth. His registration and performance on his original "Hammond B 3" are quite outstanding.

Two tears ago Kjell introduced me to a young bass player, Thommy Johnson, who works in Kjell's organ group. We were in need of a bass player, our former bassist, Lars Pettersson, havin had to withdraw on account of a incurable back trouble - a sad fate after nearly 50 years playing with all the great jazz artists. Anyhow, we tried Tommy and one or two others for a while and, all of a sudden, there was Tommy, a permanent member of the Quartet.

Leif "Gus" Dahlberg (Gus of course after Gus Johnson - one of his favorite drummers) is a lovable gentleman and a supreme "chameleon". One second he is playing with velvet brushes, an then suddenly he builds up a thunderstorm, but only when it's called for. That's one reason why I love playing with him.

The music you are about to listen to on this album is a message:
"...this is my favoriteband!"

Swingcerely yours, LARS ERSTRAND 1991
  

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Kjell Öhman featuring Arne Domnérus

LP19402

 

 The Hammond B-3 Connection

Kjell Öhman, who is sadly not with us any-longer, was by many, for example Georgie Fame who he also worked with, regarded as one of the worlds best Hammond B-3 player!
On this album he is in very good company with some of the best musicians in this genre, and last but not least: Arne Domnérus!

This album was released on CD in 1994, but was discontinued many years ago.
On many peoples request, we have now Re-Mastered it for LP, and chosen the 10 best tracks out of 14, while the recording was 76 minutes long.

It is also available as a MasterCopy while it is an analog recording!

"Super Hammond! Steaming hot in every way is The Hammond Connection, featuring Hammond organ in Kjell Ohman and his friends. All of them, not least Kjell himself, seem to be in the very best of swing tempers.

Some numbers also feature that master of alto sax Arne Domnerus, who just seems to go on getting better and better. His playing in Benny Carter's beautiful ballad The Favour of the Fool is in itself worth buying the record for."
(More Music)
  

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Yamina

SACD 25001  SACD / hybrid DSD128

www.yamnia.se

 How Deep Is The Ocean

This is a conceptual album which is based on the Danish author H.C. Andersen´s dramaturgy of the story of "The Little Mermaid", and where the genre is soft jazz with colors Latin rhythms!
The full story is inside the booklet!
The music is a combination of songs what is normally known as the "American Songbook", plus Yamina´s own compositions!

It is also our first album recorded in 8 channel native DSD128 and of course mixed 100% analogue, i.e. it has never been in the PCM domain which is also what "native" stands for.
As some of you might know, Opus 3 Records was the first record company in the world to offer download of native DSD128 already in February 2013!

This is also the first album that will be both released as an SACD and offered to be downloaded in DSD64 & 128 at the same time.		  

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Knud Jörgensen Jazz Trio

SACD 8421  SACD / hybrid

 Teach Me Tonight

Thanks to many requests, we have now Re-Mastered this album recorded in 1984 for SACD-Stereo..
And yes, Stereo only.

The reason being that we have a very strong impression, that most audiophiles are not interested in Multichannel/Surround, even though Opus 3 always made the very best out of it....for example:  You are NOT sitting in the middle of the orchestra/band etc.
So from now on, eventually with some few exceptions, future Opus 3 SACD´s, with be SACD Stereo.

Like our previous albums from our back catalog Re-Mastered for SACD, there are several good reasons to do it:
When the analogue  tape (Agfa PEM 468) is played back through the AD converters of today, it is a big improvement compared to the AD´s, 25 years ago, even if Cutting Room Mastering Studio where I once worked, always had the absolute best AD´s    of it´s time....

- If you hear some noise in the background, it is just Knud Jörgensen humming...!!!!

 		 

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The Best of
Lars Erstrand
1983 - 1995

SACD 22081  SACD / hybrid

 Swingcerely Yours

We have been fortunate to work with and record Lars Erstrand since 1979!

The first time was an album featuring jazz violin player, Gunnar Lidberg.
Since then, we have made six albums with Lars Erstrand and where this collection album is the best from his first five Opus 3 albums recorded during 1983 – 1995.

 - ”Two Sides of...” 
 - ”Four Brothers”
 - ”A Tribute to the Benny Goodman Quartet”
 - ”Dream Dancing”
 - ”The Lars Erstrand Sessions”

All of them are remastered directly from the original analogue tape!

 

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        Lars Erstrand Trio & Quartet with Guests

CD 22014 

 The Complete Songs
We are glad to present Lars Erstrand´s 6th Opus 3 album  
a dream-project that Lars had in mind for over 15 years!

To Quote Lars:
   -"Perhaps the most important thing I have learned in my 50 years of playing, as a vibraphonist is the awareness of the enormous quality and variety of the songs composed in what is commonly called The Great Swing Era.

 -For more than 30 years I had the privilege and pleasure of playing with the outstanding Swedish clarinettist Ove Lind, whose life ended at all too early an age.  One of the things about Ove was his enormous repertoire, not only of the songs but also the verses, which were so very often not recorded at this time. He maintained that a song is not really complete without the verse and I, and many other musicians, really agree that he has a point.

 -A verse is like a prologue, where the words of the lyrics give background to the story, which is the main theme of the chorus. Musically it can be a separate entity in itself and comprise a further composition of beauty."

The trio comprises, besides Lars himself, one of Sweden's absolutely best new jazz pianist, Jan Lundgren. On double bass is another of Sweden's most sought after musicians, Hans Backenroth. On drums we have Leif "Gus" Dahlberg who has been playing with Lars Erstrand on several other Opus 3 albums.
As soloists we have the pleasure to present Antii Sarpila from Finland on tenor and soprano saxophone on 3 tracks, Bertil Fernqvist on electric guitar on 2 tracks and finally Lasse Törnqvist on cornet, also on 2 tracks

This is the 2nd pure Opus 3 DSD recording on Super Audio CD in multichannel/surround sound.
 

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Lars Erstrand

CD 8402		 And Four Brothers
Following their successful collaboration in the quintet setting from the "Two Sides" recording with Knud Jörgensen (Piano), Roland Jivelid (tenor sax),Arne Wilhelmsson (bass) and Pelle Hultén (drums).		 Order
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Knud Jörgensen

LP 8401		 Jazz Trio
"Come now, there aren't any volcanoes in Denmark!" I hear you cry.

True indeed - but you are forgetting Knud Jörgensen!
Naturalized Swede he may be, but he makes no secret of his antecedents. His way of speaking tells you as much, though his musical language is international. This, then, is the Danish volcano. Do not be deceived by the titles on this record. No question here of easy jazz or cocktail piano. Musical Molotov Cocktails would be an adapter description. Primitive power, dynamite, and dynamics.

Lars O'Månsson

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