Stefan Wistrand’s jazz opus Stängt (EINNICKEN ERA 2429) is mostly too tasteful for my lumpen ears on today’s spin, but this Swedish sax player issues a pleasant tone from his tenor and soprano bells, and also adds modern keyboards and loops to confirm his very contemporary approach to making a jazz record. Wistrand is a 1970s veteran and has an interesting history, which we sketched out when we heard his 1977 Duo recording with Peter Olsen. Supported by extra friendly musicians from The Electric MZ on Fender Rhodes, bass, drums and congas; the music works best for me when he improvises over a mostly-unchanging chord, such as on ‘Glimpse’ and ‘Out Of Reach’, and he achieves his own form of cosmic out-there exploration without once uttering a hostile note or making an experimental move, while his synth backdrops veer close to contemporary ambient. Elsewhere, for instance on ‘Dagvill’ and ‘Sweet Now’, it’s more like background music for coffee shop customers. Mostly made in Stefan’s home studio during lockdown. He sees it an as experiment in minimalism, possibly referring to the simplicity and directness of his approach. (22/01/2025)
