Danish, Malmö-based sax player-composer-arranger-eductor is known mainly for his work with big bands, including The Danish Radio Big Band, where he blended elements from iconic jazz composers for big bands as Thad Jones, Oliver Nelson and Duke Ellington with orchestral, compositional ideas of classical composers as Johann Sebastian Bach and Béla Bartók. «My Burnin’ Valentine» brings Sörensen to his early days as a jazz musician, playing with his own jazz quartet, following the themes, improvising on these themes. Nothing more, nothing less. Just having fun.

Sörensen titled his album by the name «My Burnin’ Valentine», claiming that few would like a funny Valentine and that «Valentines should be burning. Hot. Like jazz». His quartet do sound hot and on the title piece, playing with playful passion and a sense of urgency. But the rest of the pieces on this album, recorded in December 2017 in Berno Studio in Malmö, feature the quartet playing the compositions of Sörensen by the book and in a leisured yet elegant tone. First, a brief introduction of the lyrical theme by Sörensen, who sings it with warm, melodic voice that is clearly influence by John Coltrane and Dexter Gordon, then a patient abstraction of the theme by Sörensen and pianist Sven-Erik Lundeqvist and a return to core melodic line with Sörensen articulating-soloing over it again. All the pieces highlight the intimate interplay of Sörensen and pianist Lundeqvist. Lundeqvist composed the last piece, the touching ballad «Wrong Side Of The Blue».

Eyal Hareuveni

Claus Sörensen (as), Sven-Erik Lundeqvist (p), Simon Peterson (b), Hannes Olbers (dr)