COMPOSERS: Karin Krog
LABELS: Grappa
ALBUM TITLE: Sweet Talker: The Best of Karin Krog
WORKS: Karin Krog
PERFORMER: Karin Krog (singer); John Surman, Archie Shep, Dexter Gordon (saxophone), plus various musicians
CATALOGUE NO: GRCD 4219 (Reissue 1963-2005)
Long before ECM broke the Nordic
new wave onto the shores of modern
jazz there was Norwegian singer
Karin Krog. This aptly named
‘best of ’ compilation charts her
career from 1963, when Krog broke
through (in Norway at least) with
the strangely titled novelty song,
‘Sann Lager Man Pop-Plater’.
Perhaps best known for her
collaborations with John Surman,
Krog’s silky, sweet vocal stylings have
fronted for many of the music’s great
soloists including Dexter Gordon
and Warne Marsh. Typical standout
tracks here include ‘Soul Eyes’ with
tenorist Archie Shepp and ‘Lester’s
Happy’ with bassist Red Mitchell.
Despite some glitzy arrangements
and schmaltzy material, Krog’s voice
is always beguiling here. And behind
the insouciant delivery is a brilliant
musical mind, with a devilish sense
of timing. Garry Booth