New Orleans Delight - a Success
One of Scandinavia’s best New Orleans band performed at the Valstad church on Wednesday night. The ensemble consisted of four Danes, two Swedes and two well-known guest-artists. Everything worked and the concert was a total success.
Gospel- and Jazz-singer Lee Gunness was with her mighty vocals and tremendous feeling amazing. In addition, the trumpet player Norbert Susemihl from New Orleans impressed with his brilliant technique and lovely tone.
The concert was an unannounced 50th anniversary of the bright idea of Maggan and Jan Sköld to arrange jazz concerts together with the church people of Valstad’s congregation.
The concert series are very popular and the church was filled to the brim long before the band went on stage.
Fantastic Night of New Orleans
By Rolf Johansson
Valstad. New Orleans Jazz at its’ best. Nothing more needs to be added. Because, there occasions when there are not enough superlatives. That is exactly the feeling the music celebration in Valstad’s church Wednesday gave, where New Orleans Delight performed together with Lee Gunness and Norbert Susemihl.
The church was filled and half an hour before the performance was set to start the noise level reminded more of a summer holiday or maybe a 50-year birthday celebration than anything else. The joy, fraternity and expectation were total of the New Orleans’ friends.
Margareta Sköld finally got the class to be quiet and surprised everyone by announcing that it actually was the 50th Valstad concert. “But we are not celebrating the 50th,” said her husband, Jan, during the break, “We are waiting for the even 100th.”
The Danish- Swedish group, New Orleans Delight, have since their beginning in 1996 gained a well-deserved reputation in the Jazz circle. And their play-list is fully booked year-around. The last time they performed in Valstad was in November of 2002. They were outstanding then and they definitely have not changed since. Their strength is their harmony, real variations of instruments and programs, and feeling for this music genre’s special soul. NO-jazz is built on repetitions worldwide limiting the repertoire and the Valstad concert series is in that sense traditional. Nothing of what people enjoy the most and associate with the daily life of the colored was missing. Chosen for church usage, of course, with emphasize on hymns and gospels.
The group’s stylish leader Kjeld Brandt, who is from Roskilde and is an extremely skilled clarinet player, presented the play-list.
ndet sa värdsartisten Lee Gunness, och så mycket folk! Absolutely marvellous.
Det kan inte uttryckas bättre.
The Powerhouse Lee
Gospel-. Jazz- and Blues singer Lee Gunness from Sidney was a shock like experience. She is a formable power machine with an enormous voice and canning ability to identify with the material. She is the mother of two from Sidney, who with her beautiful looks, charisma and mighty vocals literally takes your breath away. Imagine Swedish Britta Borg during her best years and double it. About so. That is the kind of voice we usually associate with colored legends, such as, Ella Fitzgerald and others. Magnificent was the opening tune “What a Friend We Have in Jesus” followed by the hopeful “My Life Will Be Sweeter Someday,” where she was accompanied by improvising wind instruments and steady rhythm. It was followed by many more favorites. The audience burst out clapping over “Over in The Gloryland” with Stefan Kärfve enticing the audience with his slaps on the stand-up bass.
Lee masters both the high-powered melodies, as well as, the more tender ones. Her performance of the hymn “Precious Lord” was that of a master and with an extraordinary feeling. The same could be said about the gem “The Old Rugged” and evoking “Count The Blessing,” and “Name Them One By One.” The question remains if not one of the last “His Eyes Is On The Sparrow” will stay with us the longest. “My favorite,” she said and it showed. In that she used her large know how as a gospel-singer. The technique and nuances were perfectly used with warm vibrating tones giving the song almost a radiant physical appearance.
Top artist number two was Norbert Susemihl born in Hamburg, but who now lives in the music center New Orleans. Norbert comes over every now and then to play with the Delights, which in essences uses the clarinet as a solo instrument. During the group play, he is effectively anonymous and a good accompanist to Lee Gunness, but moreover he is glowing solo player on both the trumpet and flugelhorn. The technique is fast like a bird when needed and full of improvisations. His tone could be passionate as in “Precious Lord,” or engaging as in “Do Lord Do You Remember Me” or “I’ll Fly Away,” where both the trumpet and his ponytail was swinging to the hot rhythm.
New Orleans Delights’ trademark is their evenness with their ridged disciplined playing, faithfulness to the tradition and impressive team-playing.
The bandleader Kjeld Brandt was also conventional and classy, as he tractated his clarinets impressively. In addition to the common-placed black one, there was a gleaming metal one with its’ nasal tone and deep alt-clarinet. The later with a tone that perfectly matched Lee’s dark vocals.
Father-son team, Erling and Claus Lindhardt, from Copenhagen played the banjo and the drums. They are skilled musicians and a colorful addition to the rhythm section. It has to be said, that a band without a banjo can be seen as lacking blood. The band’s two from Skåne, Bengt Hansson from Lund on trombone and the bass-player Stefan Kärfve from Malmö, further gives the group their own flavor. Bengt with his improvisations and lovely tone, and Stefan with his magnificent pizzicato playing, serves as the foundation of the rhythm playing all through the performance. In addition, the group has a newcomer, he too a Dane. Since their last visit Copenhagen pianist Hans Pedersen has joined the group and replaced Hjo musician Göran Magnusson. He seems to be a great find. He calmly and with ease expands the tunes into nice solo pieces, and in the mean time provides the rhythm with a foundation.
Marvelous!
Many thousands have been collected for the orphanage in Poland during the Valstad’s concerts. That was the case this time around, too. The church-leader, Alf-Åke Hall, spoke about children with cleft palate and soon to be priest Peter Håkansson was responsible for a short, but intense appeal. “Of course, we are playing Jazz in the church,” he said, “Why should the devil have all the fun? Give some to the collect and turn your nose on everything devilish!” The musician followed with a “Nearer God to Thee” and by the exit there was the beautiful sound of bills.
The last song was “Just A Little While To Stay Here.” As an addition piece, they played “He’s Got The Whole World in His Hands” and the whole church stood up and applauded the artists, as well as, Him whom have his hand around the world. As an additional bonus, the enthusiasts got to hear Lee’s a cappella singing in the beginning of “Glory, Glory Hallelujah” and the sing-along accompanied by extraordinary playing by the musicians.
“Such a wonderful little country church,” said world artist Lee Gunness “and so many people! Absolutely marvelous.”
Fotos: Barbara Jakobsen, Göran Magnusson och Bo Löfgreen
