Danish jazz singer Malene Mortensen joins forces with American pianist Christian Sands on Malene and Christian, a 2026 release on Stunt Records that blends original compositions with jazz standards. Recorded in Copenhagen with bassist Thomas Ovesen and drummer Rasmus Kihlberg, the album showcases Mortensen’s expressive vocal clarity alongside Sands’ refined, modern piano style. The result is a contemporary vocal jazz album that balances optimism, intimacy and rhythmic sophistication.
Rating: ★★★½
Label: Stunt Records
Standout Tracks: ‘Go Away Little Boy,’ ‘Life Is Okay,’ ‘I Didn’t Know What Time It Was’
For Fans Of: Shirley Horn, Mette Juul, Gregory Porter, Aaron Diehl – contemporary vocal jazz and modern jazz piano
Who Are Malene Mortensen and Christian Sands?
American pianist Christian Sands is the better known of the duo – he has worked extensively with the great Christian McBride and has a bunch of records of his own that have picked up adulatory reviews.
Danish singer Malene Mortensen, championed for instance by exceptional jazz writer Selwyn Harris of Moochin’ About renown, is also well known even beyond Denmark for her pure and expressive voice. And yet – she is still only in her forties – she hasn’t yet achieved the big breakthrough that her very substantial talent suggests. Maybe this is it I thought listening to the album earlier.
The Sound of Malene and Christian
What are the songs? They include co-writes of Mortensen and Sands’ and the album was recorded in a Copenhagen studio last year. The core of the sound is a trio (Sands with double bassist Thomas Ovesen and drummer Rasmus Kihlberg). Nicely arranged strings ornament opener the puntastic ballad ‘Weight and Sea’ [geddit?] which is by far the best of the originals certainly in terms of poignancy as thoughts of the protagonist’s childhood prove melancholic and blue in the trajectory of the lyrics. Later you get a few guests most notably trumpeter Benny Benack III on ‘Go Away Little Boy’ – I wasn’t so keen on the harmonica soloing from Mathias Heise on ‘Reaching for the Sun’ but preferred the soprano sax spot from Gabor Bolla on ‘Forever.’
Best Tracks on the Album
‘Go Away Little Boy’
‘I Didn’t Know What Time It Was’
‘Life Is Okay’
I was drawn most to the treatment of Gerry Goffin and Carole King’s ‘Go Away Little Boy’ a 1963 song once the pronouns were changed in later versions of female empowerment, black consciousness and wry wit introduced to the canon at this distance a little preposterously perhaps by teen idol Bobby ‘Take Good Care of My Baby’ Vee as ‘Go Away Little Girl’ and renovated down the years by many including marvellously Marlena Shaw and in the 1990s so beautifully by Al Jarreau.
On Malene and Christian, Mortensen’s interpretation of ‘Go Away Little Boy’ avoids imitation and instead highlights the album’s optimistic tone. Malene’s voice is “closest” to Shirley Horn’s 1964 released treatment with Quincy Jones found on Shirley Horn with Horns. But on it Benack’s soloing is beautifully captured. There is also a lively tempo and pacey rhythm section buoying the sound.
The album also includes an affecting version of Rodgers and Hart’s Too Many Girls Broadway musical song ‘I Didn’t Know What Time It Was’ from the late-1930s which is a delight. It was first recorded as a swinger by Benny Goodman with Louise Tobin. You know the one? It goes in the set-up:
Once I was young
Yesterday, perhaps
Danced with Jim and Paul
And kissed some other chaps
Once I was young
But never was naive
I thought I had a trick or two
Up my imaginary sleeve
And now I know I was naive
– Lorenz Hart
There are great versions out there by Doris Day, Peggy Lee, Anita O’Day, Ella Fitzgerald, Billie Holiday, Tony Bennett and Jimmy Scott. Malene and Christian’s is a world away from Billie’s! Barbra Streisand did a far more recent version on her 2016 Encore album.
This isn’t a doomy late night kind of album particularly or an album of heartbreakers. It ain’t depressing. Because it has an optimism about it. But it isn’t overly glossy or annoying like that.
‘Life is Okay’ probably sums it up best, a kind of pep talk with an engaging trio touching on latinate ideas here and there.
Christian Sands’ Piano Style
Best of the standards certainly for the sentiment expressed in the lyrics as much as anything else is the version of the 1950s Ed McCurdy folk music peace anthem ‘Last Night I Had the Strangest Dream’ that Peggy Seeger sang in the 50s and Simon and Garfunkel did in the 60s. Hippie jazz icon saxist Charles Lloyd and the Marvels did a great version of the protest song with country icon Wille Nelson a decade ago on a Lloyd album called I Long to See You.
Final Verdict on Malene and Christian
Overall I like Malene and Christian – granted it can be a bit too toothsome in places (‘Transient Dreams,’ ‘Reaching for the Sun’) and it’s not an album for cynics. You gotta believe in make believe, man. But there’s more to applaud than to denigrate and it has an inner life to it that some vocals albums struggle to divine.
Best surprise? A treatment of the 1920s Oscar Levant song ‘If You Want the Rainbow (You Must Have the Rain)’ deftly tackled. Norah Jones covered it some years ago and her version was included in the soundtrack for Boardwalk Empire. The stillness on her own version of the kiss and make up song suits Malene most and there’s storming modulation from Christian and exuberant Billy Taylor-esque touches there too for extra value when the mood is transformed and he goes for broke.
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