Camjazz are developing a neat line in championing guitarists. In recent years their releasing of music by Eleanora Strino resonated mightily and this does – too true – from the Swedish guitarist Loke Risberg. Given that solo guitar albums are very much a specialist listen this rises up from that very exposed, and potentially austere, platform and spreads out effectively warming the air all vibrational. If you admire, quite sensibly, guitarists such as Austrian master Wolfgang Muthspiel (whose trio album Tokyo arrives imminently), England player Ant Law or the Americans Julian Lage and Jeff Parker either individually or collectively, Solo certainly will appeal as a parallel running. A good many of the tunes are the Swede’s, I’d choose ‘Kirika’ as the most evocative and fully formed of the originals. The sonic footprint captures the dimensional depth of each note very crisply.
Produced by Ermanno Basso this was recorded in 2022 and benefits from the recording, mix and mastering genius of Stefano Amerio who’s probably Europe’s top jazz engineer and was recorded at his Artesuono studio near Udine. That’s added value – not half.
The guitarist Loke Risberg, previously known as Susanna Risberg, has already recorded for the Italian label on an album called Boiler Room under their earlier name.
The improvisations where they occur on the new album are very thorough and not self indulgent and fit in well with the non- improvisations. Bassist Ilaria Capalbo’s ‘Moth’ is a great choice to do a version of. Risberg has gigged with the Italian who is active on the Stockholm scene and internationally.
The most interesting element of the album is an arrangement of ‘Four Pieces for Clarinet and Piano, Op. 5,’ marked for tempo “Sehr langsam” which from the German means “very slowly” when translated into English. It is a piece originally composed by the serialist composer of the Second Viennese School Alban Berg in 1913 and first performed in 1919. A very unshowy and non laborious slowness is important on Solo. There are few longueurs.
Solo also includes a stirring version of Bach’s ‘Partita for Violin Solo No. 1 in B Minor, Sarabande.’
Also listen to it here played by Hilary Hahn.
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