Blue for a Moment – Vinyl Box
Credits
This box set of 9 heavyweight 180g LPs comprises a collection of recent recordings made during the shooting of the documentary film Blue for a Moment as well as historic material, including a concert by the Schlippenbach & Johansson duo recorded in the late 1970s. The compilation showcases the protean qualities of an essentially unclassifiable artist.
Berolina Suite nvnc-lp005/006
Fallstudien nvnc-lp007
Das Marschorchester nvnc-lp008/009
Frost nvnc-lp010
Ein Abend in Pöseldorf nvnc-lp011
Hudson Songs nvnc-lp012
Lind nvnc-lp013
With an introduction by Karl Bruckmaier
LP liner notes by Thomas Milroth
Graphic design by Laurent Daubach/designbureau
Produced by Antoine Prum for Ni-Vu-Ni-Connu Productions
nvnc-lp005/013
Liz Allbee trumpet
Burkhard Beins percussion
Florian Bergmann clarinet
Pauline Boeykens tuba
Rüdiger Carl clarinet
Rhodri Davies harp
Axel Dörner trumpet
Erik Drescher flutes
Alistair Duncan bass trumpet
Hilary Jeffery trombone
Sven-Åke Johansson accordion, percussion, voice
Martin Klingeberg baritone horn
Richard Koch trumpet
Annette Krebs e-guitar, electronics
Hannes Lingens bass drum
Christian Magnusson trumpet
Theo Nabicht clarinet
Andrea Neumann inside piano, electronics
Alexander von Schlippenbach piano, trumpet
Audio excerpts
Reviews
Blue for a Moment
Clifford Allen
The New York City Jazz Record, April 2018
Berlin-based percussionist, accordionist, vocalist, painter and poet Sven-Åke Johansson is an artist who defies categorization, even as much as European free music and “Berliner Improvisation” are handy aesthetic generalities that allow critics and connoisseurs to think that they know what they are getting themselves into. Johansson was born in 1943 in Sweden and decamped to Germany in the late ‘60s, gaining notoriety as a drummer with the groups of trumpeter Manfred Schoof and saxophonist Peter Brötzmann. His approach was controlled and resonant yet marked by dynamic impulsions, which is why he was a logical choice for Brötzmann’s trio their first proper recording, with bassist Peter Kowald, was issued privately in 1967 and reissued as For Adolphe Sax on FMP. Living and working in Berlin from 1968, Johansson directed improvising orchestras and joined increasingly madcap small formations, as well as waxing the fascinating solo LP Schlingerland/Dynamische Schwingungen.
Page One
Bill Shoemaker
Point of Departure, March 2018
Sven-Åke Johansson is the quintessential dotted line in the flow chart of European improvised music. First and foremost, in a genesis narrative that foregrounds national stereotypes – earth-scorching Germans, impish Dutch, and hair-splitting Brits – and whose initial wave of innovators travelled constantly but did not permanently uproot, the Swedish percussionist stands out as an ex-pat, having moved to Berlin 50 years ago this year. By then, Johansson was already embedded in the German emancipation from American jazz: he replaced Jaki Liebezeit in Manfred Schoof’s envelope-pushing quintet with Alexander von Schlippenbach and was on board for the pianist’s “Globe Unity ‘67,” performed at the iconic Donaueschingen new music festival; he also played on Peter Brötzmann’s first trio album and Machine Gun.
Sven-Åke Johansson’s Blue For A Moment
Marc Corroto
All About Jazz, August 2017
In conjunction with the film of the same name, the LP boxset Blue for a Moment was prepared as a limited release (250 signed copies) of Swedish musician Sven Ake Johansson’s music. It is in no way a complete retrospective. That endeavor, covering nearly sixty years of music making, would have required a hundred discs, plus visual and performance art, and poetry. The seven sessions included here, in total nine LPs, are taken from both historic meetings Ein Abend in Pöseldorf (with Alexander von Schlippenbach) and contemporary solo works and with the likes of Axel Dörner, Rhodri Davis, Rüdiger Carl, and Andrea Neumann.
Sven-Åke Johansson: Blue for a Moment
Magnus Nygren
Orkesterjournalen, 4/2017
I dessa boxtäta tider är det ofta återupptäcktens känsla skivbolagen spelar på. Inte sällan handlar det om ”Complete recordings of …” eller obskyra inspelningar som när det begav sig aldrig såg dagens ljud. Även Sven-Åke Johansson har ägnat sig åt det senare, inte minst i hans omfattande bokslutsliknande cdbox-serien på egna bolaget SÅJ med titlar som Jazzbox, Early Works 1969-73, The 80’s Selected Concerts etcetera. När bolaget Ni-Vu-Ni-Connu släpper 9lp-boxen – sju individuella album – Blue for a Moment är det mestadels nutiden som speglas. Förutom en duoinspelning med pianisten Alexander von Schlippenbach från 1978 härstammar de andra inspelningarna från åren mellan 2007 och 2015. Kanske beror det på att boxen är ett komplement till den nyligen släppta filmen med samma namn, inspelad av Antoine Prum. I det hela är det en fantastisk box, snygg och stram i sin utformning, varierad och rik i sitt innehåll.
