Ulf Wakenius - Taste of Honey (2020) [Official Digital Download 24/96]

Another Beatles album?! When Swedish guitarist Ulf Wakenius initially proposed the idea of recording a homage to Paul McCartney, Siggi Loch was highly sceptical. After all, it is not as if there is a shortage of versions of The Beatles' ageless tunes. However, it soon not only became clear that Wakenius was really fired up for this project, but also that he had assembled the dream team to do it: Lars Danielsson and Magnus Öström were already on board, and that above all was what succeeded in winning Siggi Loch over. He was nonetheless keen for the choice of tracks to reflect some lesser-known aspects of McCartney, a thought which took him straight back into his own memories: he had witnessed the very early stages of The Beatles’ existence at close quarters. In 1962 he had been to several of their performances at the Star Club in Hamburg, the venue which launched the group internationally. The high point of their Hamburg gigs would invariably be McCartney singing "A Taste of Honey", a Broadway song by Bobby Scott. This number, Loch felt, could not be left out of a tribute to Paul McCartney; it eventually became the album’s title track. Another priority was to include lesser-known songs from the "Wings" period. In the end, the careful selection process has resulted in twelve tracks which traverse a broad spectrum of McCartney's work, both chronologically and stylistically. Each of the three musicians has his own strong stylistic identity, and they have combined their individual talents to construct a new and unique monument to their idol.

What Ulf Wakenius brings is the sum total of a vast and varied experience in music. It began with an early passion for rock, then continued with mainstream jazz in collaboration with bassist Nils-Henning Ǿrsted Pedersen and through ten years as a member of Oscar Peterson’s Quartet, and then as the accompanist for outstanding pop-jazz singers such as Youn Sun Nah, plus projects of his own in which he has re-defined the musical and expressive possibilities the guitar. Through his homages to Keith Jarrett and Esbjörn Svensson, Wakenius has also already proved not only that he has a very special sense of empathy, but also a capacity to shape things creatively. Nils-Henning Ǿrsted Pedersen provides the common link between Wakenius and Lars Danielsson, two of Europe's leading jazz musicians who have often worked together. Like Wakenius, Danielsson has constantly expanded his creative and expressive range in the course of his 40-year career, whether working with a whole host of pre-eminent artists such as Trilok Gurtu and Charles Lloyd, or working with his own all-star quartet, or in his joint projects with Polish pianist Leszek Moźdźer or Danish vocalist Cæcilie Norby.

TRACKLIST

1. Ulf Wakenius - Taste of Honey
2. Ulf Wakenius - My Valentine
3. Ulf Wakenius - You Never Give Me Your Money
4. Ulf Wakenius - Maybe I'm Amazed
5. Ulf Wakenius - Blackbird
6. Ulf Wakenius - Yes to You
7. Ulf Wakenius - And I Love Her
8. Ulf Wakenius - Jet
9. Ulf Wakenius - She's Leaving Home
10. Ulf Wakenius - Our Lives
11. Ulf Wakenius - Bésame Mucho
12. Ulf Wakenius - Eleanor Rigby



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