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Marína ?sk: One Evening in July

By Jane Kozhevnikova
November 29, 2022
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Who knew back in the early days of jazz that the songs written back then would later become standards and inspire people in the "far far away" 2022? Marína ?sk, a promising emerging musician from Reykjavík, Iceland, has found her composer's voice in writing lyrical jazz pieces which sound like some songs of the "Great American Songbook."

One can sense that ?sk's album One Evening in July (TengTones, 2022) was deeply influenced by recordings of

Ella Fitzgerald

vocals
1917 - 1996

" data-original-title="" title="">Ella Fitzgerald and

Chet Baker

trumpet and vocals
1929 - 1988

" data-original-title="" title="">Chet Baker. More importantly, she and her band members bring their individuality, without just imitating other performers. Joining ?sk on the album are Icelandic guitarist Mikael Máni ?smundsson, and brothers from Sweden Erik Tengholm on trumpet and Johan Tengholm on bass.

To the surprise of listeners who got used to hearing jazz in English and maybe in Portuguese, several songs on the album are in Icelandic. The soothing vocal lines of the opening piece "Samtal vi? sólu" [A conversation with the sun], remind some listeners of

Antonio Carlos Jobim

piano
1927 - 1994

" data-original-title="" title="">Antonio Carlos Jobim's standards. A special treat for ears are the trumpet improvisations in "Samtal vi? sólu," "Hey Love," "The Moon and the Sky," "Vi? tj?rnina" [By the pond] and "In the Wee Small Hours of the Morning," as well as guitar solos in "Samtal vi? sólu," "Einsemd" [Loneliness] and "Happy Little Sunshine Beam." A tasteful vocal scat appears in "Hey Love."

One Evening in July offers a variety of genres, bossa nova, blues, medium-tempo swing and ballad. No overdubs and limited editing in the recording process create the feeling of a good old-school album. This is an album which lovers of evergreen standards might appreciate, enjoy and add to their playlists.

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Track Listing

Samtal vi? sólu; Einsemd: Hey Love!; The Moon and the Sky; Vi? Tj?rnina...; Happy Little Sunshine Beam; Endasprettuirnn; In the Wee Small Hours of the Morning

Personnel

Marína ?sk

vocals

Mikael Máni ?smundsson

guitar

Erik Tengholm

trumpet

Johan Tengholm

bass

Album information

Title: One Evening in July | Year Released: 2022 | Record Label: TengTones

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