Bengt Hallberg

[king ubu]

the below session is on a Dragon CD - there seems to be a mistake here, Björkman's said to play on the first two tracks, but on the last two, there's a trombone and no trumpet (and honestly the french horn on the first two sounds very trombone-like to my ears... though I do think it's indeed a french horn, but not one that's really been making use of as far as sonic possibilities go...).

Anyway, would Englund be on trombone, or who's playing there? Anyone knows?

Bengt Hallberg Ensemble featuring Lars Gullin:

Ernie Englund (tp) Ake Björkman (fhr) Putte Wickman (cl) Lars Gullin (bar)

Bengt Hallberg (p) Simon Brehm (b) Robert Edman (d)

Stockholm, January 18, 1954

KSll7 Redhead Pacific Jazz EP4-17

KSll8 Depressionism (unissued}

KSll9 Meatball (ab out) -

KS120 Blues in fourths (ab out) -

[Big Beat Steve]

The online "Svensk Jazzdisografi" names Englund, Björkman, Wickman, Gullin, Hallberg, Brehm and Edman - and AKE PERSSON on trombone (who else? )!

But which Dragon CD are you referring to? I've got that session on DRCD 402 (Bengt Hallberg All Star Sessions 1953/54) and this one DOES list Persson too.

So is Persson's omission an oversight on the part of another compiler on another CD or on your part?

Anyway, I've never heard or read of Englund playing trombone, even in period mags he was touted as a trumpet man all the time (I've got all of Orkester Journalen from 1936 to 1963 and most of Estrad from 1939 to 1963 so have done a bit of reading).

[king ubu]

my internet connection was cut before I could reply here (but my PM went through in time)... on the University network now (will be offline for several days after today, it seems)...

Persson's an omission on the part of Bruyninckx and Lord

Thanks for the info!

Btw, Englund has some nice moments, very much in that lyrical trumpet tradition (Joseph, Fruscella etc), it seems!

[Big Beat Steve]

Btw, Englund has some nice moments, very much in that lyrical trumpet tradition (Joseph, Fruscella etc), it seems!

If this is so then this only goes to prove once more that US-born Ernie Englund was a musical chameleon (or at least very adaptable). Whenever the occasion called for it (e.g. at live gigs in those Swedish folk parks) he seems to have been much more extrovert (if not downright exhibitionistic). BTW, he was one of the very first European (and certainly Swedish) artists to record outright rock'n'roll records. His 1954 recording of "Crazy Man Crazy" is extremely uninhibited and almost makes Bill Haley's original sound tame and lame by comparison. Quite astonishnig, considering the conservative tastes of European popular music execs of those times ...

Edited April 8, 2009 by Big Beat Steve

[king ubu]

Well, I added "it seems", but that's how he sounded to me on these few sides...

[Big Beat Steve]

You may well be right - Swedish jazz musicians had to be rather versatile during those times, it seems.