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FLASH MUSIC
proudly presents
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BÖRJE FREDRIKSSON
Börje Fredriksson (1937-68) created his own musical
world and literally gave it all he had to give. His journey
as a tenor saxophonist and composer, which spanned a mere
ten years, took an outsider's path at a time when the
cultural climate for jazz musicians was harsh. In the end,
Börje gave up.
From today's perspective, almost thirty years later, he
stands out as one of the most original personalities in
Swedish jazz, and his music has become a source of
inspiration for more than a few young talents of the during
1956 or 1957 Börje purchased a tenor saxophone and
learned to play this new instrument completely on his own. A
year later he was already making a name for himself as a
jazz musician.
In the beginning he had to do stints with commercial
bands but later, in the '60's, when he had his own groups he
could no longer compromise his music al vision. He performed
on radio and television and appeared at established venues
such as Nalen, The Golden Circle (Gyllene Cirkeln) and The
Modern Museum in Stockholm. When jazz gigs were hard to come
by he preferred taking other jobs, like custodian for
department store P.U.B.'s expedition 721, which became the
title for a blues theme included on this CD.
The Sixties was Börje's time, and it was also a time
when jazz lost its foothold in the entertainment business.
Many musicians suffered, especial ly the new generation of
modernists who were known as the "angry young men" of jazz.
Börje was often the one who stood out as the angriest
of them all - due to his unwillingness to compromise and his
conviction that he had something important to say with his
music. He was a man of strong integrity who, verbally as
well as musically, fearlessly expressed himself.
In his life and in his music Börje was a man of
contrasts; naked and vulnerable, and at the same time
looking for a fight. He could be harsh and provocative,
tough and arrogant, but also sensitive and tender. His
criticism of others could be devastating, but even more
merciless was his self-criticism. He was a perfectionist who
wanted everything under control, who none the less, as an
improviser with a divine gift, reached for the
unpredictable, the secrets reveal ed only in spontaneity.
His own secret was his almost magical ability to give his
boiling cornucopia of ideas and themes artistic form. This
vibrating tension that he managed to capture is what gives
his playing such an undeniable quality of here and now.
In spite of his genuinely personal style, Börje was
sometimes accused of plagiarizing John Coltrane. But he was
quick to reply with his homespun eloquence, as he did in an
interview for the jazz magazine Orkester Journalen in
1963:
"Probably people get mixed up because of certain
superficial similarities. I use the whole-tone scale and
Coltrane uses it, as most players do these days - even if
they can't handle it. My style of playing and my mouth
position also make for a sound close to Coltranes's, but it
suits me and I have no intention of changing it just because
it's similar. No, a person who's capable of listening beyond
superficialities can hear that I'm not plagiarizing. I mean,
I could go through any one of my recordings, bar for bar,
and demonstrate that not one phrase is stolen. These are
phrases that I walked around singing five or six years ago -
before I even owned a sax."
Even if Börje received his allotted portion of icy
headwinds, he wasn't left out when it came to appreciation
and esteem. Critics often reviewed his work in glowing
terms, and in the Nordic best-player polls for the years
1964 and 1965 he came in second to the winner, Bernt
Rosengren. His popularity peaked in 1967 when he was awarded
Orkester Jounalen's "Golden Record" for his LP,
"Intervall".
The other players in Börje's groups represented a
cross-section of the best of Sweden's jazz generation from
the '60's. Pianist Bo Carlsson (1934-84) and the well-known
cornetist Lars Färnlöf (1942-94) are no longer
among us, but pianists Lars Sjösten and Bobo Stenson,
bassist Björn Alke and drummer Fredrik Norén are
still active and well-established on the jazz scene - not to
mention the American drummer, Albert "Tootie" Heath, whose
sojourn in Stockholm during the mid-60's gave jazz life a
swing previously unknown in that city. Bo Carlsson is heard
on "Misty" and Lars Färnlöf on his own "Foro" and
on "Expedition 721". "Intervall" provides everyone with a
chance to solo: after Börje comes Bobo Stenson,
Björn Alke - playing arco - and "Tootie Heath in a
dialogue with Börje. "Tootie" also takes a solo on "Go
Go Miss Summer", although it's on "Blues For Albert" that he
really gets to make his statement. This tune also features
Bobo Stenson, while the piano solo on "Ballad For Laila" is
played by Lars Sjösten.
Lars Färnlöf
The main character, however, is Börje. Aside from
the standards "Everything Happens To Me - where he is a
featured guest-soloist with a local rhythm section in
Sundsvall - and "Misty", along with Färnlöf's
"Foro", we're hearing his compositions. And the focus is on
his solos. Every one has its own special character: for
example, the strong feeling of the blues in "Expedition
721", the Swedish folk music flavor that shines through on
"Bröllopsvals" ("Wedding Waltz"), the achingly
beautiful ballad interpretations, and the roguishly
aggressive attitude that reaches its culmination during the
twenty-or-so choruses on the uptempo "Blues For Albert".
This entire spectrum of moods reflects the great emotional
and musical breadth that characterized Börje's playing.
Every tone and phrase is sparked by an invincible fire.
Stockholm, July 1, 1996
Albrekt von Konow
Gilbert Matthews Quartet -
Hothouse / Per Henrik Wallin Trio -
Blues for Allan / Bosse Wärmell
- The Golden View / Börje
Fredriksson - Progressive Movements / Don
Cherry - Brotherhood Suite / Krister
Andersson - About Time and Concord
and Time
FLASHBACK
Supported by the Swedish National Council
of Cultural Affairs
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Flash
Music
Katarinav. 20, 116 45 Stockholm
S W E D E N
tel: 046 8 641 26 03
fax: 046 8 644 12 19
e-mail:
flashmusic@hotmail.com
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