A pair of major Swedish veterans (clarinetist
Putte Wickman and altoist
Arne Domnerus) join forces with the talented young pianist
Jan Lundgren, guitarist
Rune Gustafsson, bassist
Jesper Lundgaard and drummer
Aage Tanggaard to perform two CDs full of straight-ahead music. Although
Wickman and
Domnerus (who switches to clarinet on "Barney Goin' Easy") sound fine during these live performances (which have announcements in Swedish), the emphasis is generally on slower tempos, and the interpretations are not as fiery or competitive as one might hope. Pleasing but not essential music, with some of the brighter moments occurring on "Fine and Dandy," "Moanin'," "Broadway" and "Move."