Rolf Billberg: At Subland Malmo, Sweden 1965

STEEPLECHASE RECORDS 26043. (RECORDED IN 1965/RELEASED AUGUST 2024)

At a time when many saxophonists were under the spell of the great Charlie Parker,
a handful of players were enthralled more with the cool sounds of Lee Konitz. Swedish born Rolf Billberg was one of them, and thanks to Steeplechase Records we can experience the beauty of his alto playing recorded in Malmo, Sweden in 1965. Although the recording quality on this live session might be a bit off, there is no question that Billberg is right on! Accompanied by guitarist Kjell Noren (who only appears on a few tracks), bassist Lucas Lindholm and drummer Lasse Lundstrom, Billberg covers seven tunes, many of which were associated with Konitz at the time. He navigates his way through the tricky chart of Konitz’s “Hi Beck” with ease. Much like Konitz, Billberg creates melodic twists and turns of his on the the original “Nursery Rhyme.” He
explores melodies such as the ballad “I Can’t Get Started” and Parker’s “Yardbird Suite” with Konitz-inspired long, improvised melodic lines while the quartet provides a steady Tristano-esque rhythm. There is even a contrafact (a favorite Konitz technique) — turning Horace Silver’s “Opus De Funk” into “Fobic.” At Subland is a wonderful testament to the impact players such as Konitz and Tristano had on the European jazz scene in the 1950s and 1960s. Billberg, who appeared on recordings with Stan Kenton, Lars Gullin and the Danish Radio Big Band, has only a handful of sessions that he led during his short career. Sadly, he passed away at the young age of 35, ten months after making this recording. Fans of cool jazz will want to check out the music of Rolf Billberg.

BOTTOM LINE: Inspired by the music of Lee Konitz and Lennie Tristano, Swedish saxophonist Rolf Billberg captures the sounds of cool jazz on this rare live session recorded in Malmo, Sweden in 1965.