Home » Jazz Articles » Album Review » Tobias Wiklund: Where the Spirits Eat

Tobias Wiklund: Where the Spirits Eat

By Jakob Baekgaard
May 6, 2019
View read count

Who is the man behind the beard? This is the question one could be tempted to ask when seeing the cover of the young Swedish-born cornetist

Tobias Wiklund

cornet
b.1986

" data-original-title="" title="">Tobias Wiklund's album, Where the Spirits Eat. The eyes of the horn-player are hidden, but if the saying goes that the eyes are the windows to the soul, there's no need to look any further. The music itself has plenty of soul.

Wiklund might be young, but his swinging feeling goes back to the cradle of jazz. He has a modern sound and has taken the lessons of

Louis Armstrong

trumpet and vocals
1901 - 1971

" data-original-title="" title="">Louis Armstrong to heart. How many modern horn-players play Armstrong-staples like "Song of the Vipers" and "Weather Bird Rag" these days? Wiklund does and with a personal touch that makes one realize that Armstrong is already modern. It's not an anachronistic homage to an old master, but an intense and honest discovery of a sparkling language that still speaks directly to a modern musical mind. Supported by bassist

Lasse Mørck

bass, acoustic

" data-original-title="" title="">Lasse M?rck, who slaps the bass and plays with the bow, the music dances joyfully down the street.

Another noticeable influence, far removed in time from Armstrong, is

Rob Mazurek

trumpet
b.1965

" data-original-title="" title="">Rob Mazurek. Like Wiklund, he is a lyrical painter of sound who is not afraid to move into abstract territory but, while both share a rare affinity for the cornet, Wiklund is less avant-garde and does not move into electronic manipulations. The music on Where the Spirits Eat is purely acoustic and delicately conceived, using a classic line-up with piano, bass and drums in inventive ways. The instruments drift in and out, and the music is as spacious as it is swinging. It's especially a pleasure to hear the Danish pianist

Simon Toldam

piano

" data-original-title="" title="">Simon Toldam, whose crystalline figures and sophisticated sense of abstract and straightforward swing dazzle on "Mycket Viktigt Meddelande" (Very Important Message).

Drummer

Daniel Fredriksson

drums

" data-original-title="" title="">Daniel Fredriksson plays with the light, airy elegance of a

Vernel Fournier

drums
1928 - 2000

" data-original-title="" title="">Vernel Fournier and knows when to turn the heat up and down. The protagonist is Wiklund whose reservoir of melodic ideas never runs dry as he shapes clear lines with his compact and mellow sound, tastefully employing occasional effects of mute and growl. He can play a ballad to the bone and dress a tune up with multiple patterns, adding new layers to his musical stories.

Those saying that the young generation of jazz players have forgotten the past should listen to Where the Spirits Eat. Wiklund drinks deep from the well of tradition, but he isn't a traditionalist. His sound is contemporary and happening right now.

Learn more about our star rating system

Track Listing

Where the Spirits Eat; Dancing to the Drum of No Conscience; Song of the Vipers; Smoke; The Janitor; Mycket Viktigt Meddelande; Saved By You; Beefroot Interlude; Beefroot; Weather Bird Rag; Waking up on Buffalo Hill; City in the Sky.

Personnel

Tobias Wiklund

cornet

Tobias Wiklund: Cornet: Simon Toldam: piano: Daniel Fredriksson: drums: Lasse M?rck: Bass:

Album information

Title: Where the Spirits Eat | Year Released: 2019 | Record Label: Stunt Records/Sundance Music

PREVIOUS / NEXT

Bird: The Complete Masters 1941-1954
< Previous

Parede
Next >

Support All About Jazz

All About Jazz has been a pillar of jazz since 1995, championing it as an art form and, more importantly, supporting the musicians who make it. Our enduring commitment has made "AAJ" one of the most culturally important websites of its kind, read by hundreds of thousands of fans, musicians and industry figures every month.

Go Ad Free!

To maintain our platform while developing new means to foster jazz discovery and connectivity, we need your help. You can become a sustaining member for as little as $20 and in return, we'll immediately hide those pesky ads plus provide access to future articles for a full year. This winning combination vastly improves your AAJ experience and allow us to vigorously build on the pioneering work we first started in 1995. So enjoy an ad-free AAJ experience and help us remain a positive beacon for jazz by making a donation today.