Og så er sommeren endelig over oss, i alle fall her i Danmark, og selv om temperaturene i for eksempel deler av Norge fremdeles ligger skremmende nær frysepunktet, koser vi oss, enten vi er i varmere strøk eller sitter godt påkledd innendørs, med mange gode jazzplater som har ankommet de forskjellige jazzredaksjonene rundt om i Europa siden sist. Og for første gang har hele fire mmedarbeidere valgt samme plate, nemlig FIRE! ORCHESTRAs nye utgivelse «Arrival».
Her følger listyen over hva europeerne har lyttet til i sine enkelte lønnkammer den siste tiden:

Axel Stinshoff, Jazz thing:
ESPERANZA SPALDING «12 Little Spells» (Concord)

Luca Vitali, Giornale della Musica:
FIRE! ORCHESTRA «Arrival» (Rune Grammofon)

Madli-Liis Parts , Muusika:
MARIA FAUST «Farm Fresh» (Gotta Let It Out Records)

Paweł Brodowski, Jazz Forum:
EABS «Slavic Spirits» (Astigmatic Records)

Mike Flynn, Jazzwise:
ANDREW MCCORMACK «Graviton: The Calling» (Ubuntu Music)

Anna Filipieva, Jazz.Ru:
MAKAR NOVIKOV & HISKE OOSTERWEIJK «Stereobass» (Rainy Days Records)

Jan Granlie, salt-peanuts.eu:
FIRE! ORCHESTRA «Arrival» (Rune Grammofon)

Christine Stephan, JAZZTHETIK:
JOAKIM BERGHÄLL TRIALITY «The Arctic» (Eclipse Music)

Viktor Bensusan, jazzdergisi.com:
WYNTON MARSALIS «Bolden» (Blue Engine Records)

Magnus Nygren, OrkesterJournalen:
FIRE! ORCHESTRA «Arrival» (Rune Grammofon)

Cim Meyer, Jazz Special:
Jesse Lewis & Ike Sturm «Endless Field» (Biophilia Records).

Lars Mossefinn, Dag og tid:
ELEPHANT9 «Psychedelic Backfire I» (Rune Grammofon)

Matthieu Jouan, citizenjazz.com:
FIRE! ORCHESTRA «Arrival» (Rune Grammofon)

……

Why did I choose –

Jan Granlie:
Fire! Orchestra has maybe made the best and most creative record this year, and we are only in June. A more controlled Fire! Orchestra than before, and the strings are making it perfect.

Viktor Bensusan:
Who is the first jazz musician whom everybody knows but no one has ever heard? How did the recognizable jass he played evolve into something universal and at times even beyond recognition? Charles Buddy Bolden, the Adam of the Jazz Bible, will come to life with the music of Wynton Marsalis in the movie «Bolden» and its soundtrack.

Cim Meyer:
Some may find this release a little too airy on melody and solo performances but still it’s an exuberant universe that brings Pat Metheny to mind. The compositions draw from folk, jazz, rock, classical and ambient in a setting of organic sound influenced by nature..

Paweł Brodowski:
Following their sensational and highly acclaimed debut „Repetitions (Letters to Krzysztof Komeda)” of two years ago, this young septet, which fuses jazz, hip-hop and electronic effects, has come up with another inspired project, this time dedicated, as the title says, to „Slavic Spirit,” which has informed Polish jazz and rock music over the years. The DeLuxe edition includes a 300-page booklet (!) with a fascinating, in-depth essay, in Polish and English (!), tracing the Slavic roots and heritage, and their impact on contemporary Polish culture.

Magnus Nygren:
On their new album Arrival this extraordinary power orchestra goes into new territories. With condensed energy the group, which now also includes a string quartet, are playing some beautiful melodies in their own specific way, not at least Blue Crystal Fire by guitar player Robbie Basho.

Matthieu Jouan:
The Fire! Orchestra offers an astonishing and magnificent combination of strings, woodwinds and voices. More than the previous ones, Arrival has a pronounced vocal colour, with two surprising covers: «Blue Crystal Fire» (Robbie Basho) and «I last I am free» (Chic). The vocal colours of Mariam Wallentin and Sofia Jernberg are complementary and give the whole album a rock colour. Fire! is an omnipotent orgiastic orchestra.