Label: Loveland Music, 2026
Personnel - Jakob Bro: guitar; Charles Lloyd: tenor saxophone, flute; Larry Grenadier: acoustic bass; Jorge Rossy: drums.
For a long time, in his evocative music, Danish guitarist and composer Jakob Bro has been carving out sounds and atmospheres that feel intimate and close. We appreciate each nuance in the proceedings as he invites listeners to immerse themselves in luxuriant layers and distinct moods. Bjerge, Strand features him in a quartet of special collaborators: formidable tenorist and flutist Charles Lloyd (a rare presence as a sideman), accomplished bassist Larry Grenadier, and sensitive drummer Jorge Rossy. The album comprises originals by Bro and Lloyd, one jointly written piece, and a cover.
Bro’s “Osaka” is a case of delicate impressionism, where Lloyd’s saxophone chants are filled with incantatory grace. The spacious, comforting setting is shaped by measured bass notes, bright and atmospheric guitar chords, and an understated luxury of cymbals and percussion. It’s great to hear Lloyd totally immersed in the texture and aura of the composition, in a context that’s not his.
Both “Choctaw Reverie” and “Sally’s Orchard” are flute-and-bass duets, featuring Lloyd, who wrote them, in spiritual communion with the universe, while Grenadier’s firm, round bass lines are founts of creativity themselves. The saxophonist also contributes three of his well-known, previously recorded pieces: “Homage”, a dedication to his past mentors and influences (most notably Coltrane), here preserving the same intensity as the original and presented as an electrifying saxophone-drums duet with Rossy; “The Blessing”, a reflective piece heavily based on a Hindu theme by Swami Saradananda; and “Prayer”, a warm thank-you to the creator and a dedication to his former drummer and friend Billy Higgins.
Tranquility and lamenting tones blend in Bro/Lloyd’s “Peace Song”. There’s mantric tenor over a scintillating background, after which the blows increase in robustness and elasticity, with Bro managing to balance lyrical and harmonic graces with just the right amount of distortion and piercing effects. Grenadier and Rossy keep things running fluidly underneath.
Bro’s “Nighttime” offers harmonic discernment with rubato freedom, its balladic vulnerabilities shining brightly on the horizon, while Paul Motian’s “Yahllah” rests in quiet repose, delivered with unresolved suspension and a lovely ache in each passage. Grenadier’s dancing bass gives it a bit more movement, with Bro creating ambient, reverb-drenched effects.
There’s evident emotional investment throughout, and the pieces acquire an overt intensity that mirrors the impressive level of maturity of these musicians.
Favorite Tracks:
01 - Osaka ► 03 - Peace Song ► 04 - Nighttime ► 08 - Homage