Henrik Cederblom’s Zobop is a melodic hybrid of Swedish folk/jazz-rock that could very well enlighten the masses to clever music. This all instrumental album has weird passion and electric folk melodies to burn.
Now, Cederblom was the guitarist in the very great Den Fule – a band that is sometimes heavy, often weirdly wonderful, and always clever in its folk-rock (and everything else!) jigsaw sound. Their albums Skalv and Lugumleik somehow made their way into my local music store, along with the music of Hoven Droven, Garmarna, and Hedningarna, all of whom played Swedish rock music that always touched their folk roots.
To be fair, Zobop is a different animal. There’s little aggressive rock stuff here; rather, the album is a tapestry of well-woven Cederblom’s electric guitar, Viktor Turegard’s bass, Tapha Ndiongue’s drums, and Sten Kallman’s tenor and soprano saxophone. The sonic interplay amongst the musicians is magical.
The first tune, “Giragala,” sets a really nice almost seven-minute template. Henrik Cederblom’s guitar weaves a folky web, and then the sax follows that melody. Odd – a pedal steel enters the matrix for a moment of solitude, which gives way to the original folk-infused melody. Ahh, the song then morphs into a spacey improvised bit with bass prominent, percussion perfect, and the guitar (almost) echoing Robert Fripp’s signature sound that melts soft molten notes into (the before-mentioned) tapestry of the song. It’s all quite lovely and clever!
By the way, Jazz Guy (aka Mr. Radue) says he hears the influence of mid-period Bill Frisell. He knows that kind of stuff. And, because he knows really odd-ball never-heard-of albums, he suggested a kinship with the obscure record System Tandem, with Jiri Stivin and Rudolf Dasek, a guitar and sax workout with typical ECM/Japo full throttled freedom (and continuous folk references!) Thank you, Jazz Guy!
Other tunes follow suit. “Fillevaeren” (the only real traditional tune) is up-tempo and gets jazzy, with an irresistible sax-guitar hook that drives into a quick and certain groove. “Franx” is again jazzy, although its latent tone is more relaxed. The sax reveals a folk colored melody, that, to these ears sounds like Mel Collins’ colorful playing on the first side of King Crimson’s Lizard. Big compliment there!
It’s just an idea, but Zobop (to use the cliché) “hits two birds with one stone.” The music is extremely accessible and very pleasant, yet the playing is adroit with complexity. That’s a tough tightrope to walk.
That’s certainly true for “Skoldpaddan.” A clever guitar introduces the song. Quite frankly, there’s an echo of Pat Metheny or (to mention a personal preference) the work of Andy Powell and Ted Turner of Wishbone Ash circa Pilgrimage, and their melodic touch. And the bass work is brilliant, while the sax glides with more folk memories.
Ditto for “Drommen.” This tune dances with a love for Swedish mythos, and it mirrors the sound of (the great) John Surman, who often jazzed-up English folk melodies. This tune, again, grinds an infectious and very prog rock pulse. Oh — the guitar bit at about 2:52 into the tune plucks a clever rock ‘n’ roll melody with a bass that bubbles into wonderful drum break, before the song returns to its original (can I say it again without redundancy clamor?) infectious sax groove.
Now, to (sort of) quote Jethro Tull’s Thick as a Brick, “I really don’t mind if you sit this one (aka the next rather long digression) out.”
You know, I would love to give a “Crash Course in Brain Surgery.” But, sadly, (my beloved) Budgie did so in feathered spades. In lieu of that, please allow a crash course in Swedish rock music that is anchored in their folk culture. Listen to Ragnarok, (not the countless death metal bands who desire to be the soundtrack for the end of the world, but rather, the group fronted by the very excellent Peter Bryngelsson!). The always excellent Samla Mammas Manna played folk and children’s melodies into absurdist beauty. Kebnekaise rocked and psyched up Swedish folk melodies in their first few records and later fused everything into the wondrous Ljus Fran Afrika and then the prog masterpiece, Elefanten.
And Kenny Hakansson’s Springlekar Och Ganglatar is a solo electric guitar playing Swedish folk tunes that bleed feedback into deep tradition. It just buzzes the brain. Truly, Zebop glances back at Thomas Almqvist’s Nyanser. The obscure Folk and Rackare somehow managed a Richard Thompson guitar solo on their tune, “Inga Litimor.” Arbete Och Fritid fused free jazz with ancient melodies and all sorts of weird noise. Of course, I missed a lot of band names (by the way, so did you if you chose to “sit this one out!”), but I would be amiss not to mention Enteli (with Ale Moller and Lena Willemark of Frifot fame!) and their Live album that includes the multi-part very excellent “Ur Sagan om Ringen.”
Trust me: Zobop, in its own dancing skeleton way, travels in the same orbit as the other Swedish albums mentioned in my crash course. That’s high praise.
That said, the final three tunes are a (head) rush to the finish line. “Happy Buddha” starts with a latent sax workout, until sounds percolate (with yet another really nice bass bit) and the sax stretches out to sort of, perhaps, praise the heavens. It’s a joyous tune that isn’t caught in the troubles of the world.
In contrast, “Zobop” (which translates from the Haitian-Creole to mean “people associated with and deeply involved in evil ceremonies”!) gushes with an urgent blood fever. In fact, to these old prog rock ears, it reminds me of (the very great) Jade Warrior, when they cut loose in a frenzied “Barazinbar” instrumental wah-wah-enhanced and procession-propelled world beat African-influenced journey into sonic bliss. Trust me (again!): This music has nothing to do with new age anything!
The final tune, “Bergrummet,” churns jazz-rock butter and melodically deflates the air in the tire. That is, until, Henrik Cederblom’s guitar sings its final sunset melody, set against the simpatico bass and drums. And truly, I hope to have spelled all the Swedish names correctly because my English-only spellcheck just up and left me for another writer! But in the end, this album simply winks, in the before-mentioned skeletal dancing way, a jubilant vibe at all the world’s concerns.
It’s a much-needed musical life jacket. It does this with a strident engine room of bass and drums, and countess musical (and philosophical) conversations that sing in these fine grooves, vibrating with the sounds of a clever guitar and a savvy sax. And, as said, Zobop plays some rock ‘n’ roll and some jazz improv. It will, forever and Swedish day, sing the praises of traditional folk memories and melodies that touch the roots of the ancient Swedish gods who, even after all these years, are crazy but thankfully still like to play pretty cool music.
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