Nordic Quartet is an album by English saxophonist John Surman

John Surman

John Douglas Surman is an English jazz saxophone, bass clarinet and synthesizer player, and composer of free jazz and modal jazz, often using themes from folk music as a basis...

 featuring Karin Krog

Karin Krog

Karin Krog is a Norwegian jazz vocalist.- Life and career :She started to sing at an early age and in 1955 she was hired by the pianist Kjell Karlsen to sing in his sextet.Her great grandfather is Anders Heyerdahl...

, Terje Rypdal

Terje Rypdal

Terje Rypdal is a Norwegian guitarist and composer. Most of his music has been released on albums of the German record label ECM. Rypdal has collaborated both as a guitarist and as a composer with other ECM artists such as Ketil Bjørnstad and David Darling...

 and Vigleik Storaas recorded in 1994 and released on the ECM label.

Reception

The Allmusic review by Scott Yanow

Scott Yanow

Scott Yanow is an American jazz commentator, known for many contributions to the Allmusic website, for writing ten books on jazz and for reviewing jazz recordings for over 30 years.-Biography:...

 awarded the album 2 stars stating "The group never really meshes their disparate voices together and few of the spacey (and sometimes meandering) group originals other than "Wild Bird" are at all memorable. All of the principals have sounded better elsewhere".

Track listing

All compositions by John Surman except as indicated

1. "Traces" (Karen Krog, Vigliek Storaas) - 7:14
2. "Unwritten Letter" (Krog, John Surman) - 3:49
3. "Offshore Piper" (Terje Rypdal, Surman) - 2:09
4. "Gone to the Dogs" - 3:58
5. "Double Tripper" (Rypdal, Surman) - 6:18
6. "Ved Sørevatn" (Rypdal) - 8:06
7. "Watching Shadows" (Krog, Surman) - 5:20
8. "The Illusion" (Storaas) - 5:57
9. "Wild Bird" (Krog, Rypdal, Surman) - 7:30
   • Recorded at Rainbow Studio in Oslo, Norway in August 1994

Personnel

• John Surman
  John Surman
  John Douglas Surman is an English jazz saxophone, bass clarinet and synthesizer player, and composer of free jazz and modal jazz, often using themes from folk music as a basis...
  
   — soprano saxophone
  Soprano saxophone
  The soprano saxophone is a variety of the saxophone, a woodwind instrument, invented in 1840. The soprano is the third smallest member of the saxophone family, which consists of the soprillo, sopranino, soprano, alto, tenor, baritone, bass, contrabass and tubax.A transposing instrument pitched in...
  
  , baritone saxophone
  Baritone saxophone
  The baritone saxophone, often called "bari sax" , is one of the largest and lowest pitched members of the saxophone family. It was invented by Adolphe Sax. The baritone is distinguished from smaller sizes of saxophone by the extra loop near its mouthpiece...
  
  , alto clarinet
  Alto clarinet
  The alto clarinet is a wind instrument of the clarinet family. It is a transposing instrument pitched in the key of E, though instruments in F have been made. It is sometimes known as a tenor clarinet; this name especially is applied to the instrument in F...
  
  , bass clarinet
  Bass clarinet
  The bass clarinet is a musical instrument of the clarinet family. Like the more common soprano B clarinet, it is usually pitched in B , but it plays notes an octave below the soprano B clarinet...
  
  
• Karin Krog
  Karin Krog
  Karin Krog is a Norwegian jazz vocalist.- Life and career :She started to sing at an early age and in 1955 she was hired by the pianist Kjell Karlsen to sing in his sextet.Her great grandfather is Anders Heyerdahl...
  
   — voice
  Voice
  Voice may refer to:* Human voice* Voice control or voice activation* Writer's voice* Voice acting* Voice vote* Voice message-In film:* Voice , a 2005 South Korean film* The Voice , a 2010 Turkish horror film directed by Ümit Ünal...
  
  
• Vigliek Storaas — piano
• Terje Rypdal
  Terje Rypdal
  Terje Rypdal is a Norwegian guitarist and composer. Most of his music has been released on albums of the German record label ECM. Rypdal has collaborated both as a guitarist and as a composer with other ECM artists such as Ketil Bjørnstad and David Darling...
  
   — guitar
  Guitar
  The guitar is a plucked string instrument, usually played with fingers or a pick. The guitar consists of a body with a rigid neck to which the strings, generally six in number, are attached. Guitars are traditionally constructed of various woods and strung with animal gut or, more recently, with...