GUIDO MANUSARDI QUARTET – ROMANIAN IMPRESSIONS, Amigo AMLP 814, 33 1/3 rpm (SWE), 1974

 

Unique alternative mock up cover of classic Swedish jazz lp. Test pressing.

 

 

 

This is an amazing classic Swedish jazz lp from 1974 with Lennart Åberg in top form!

The unique thing with this particular copy is that it has a totally different and alternative cover. Which is pretty rockin! With hand lettered information and even an incorrectly spelled title of the album: “Roumanian Impressions”.

Always interesting to see how labels, musicians and artist are preparing and trying various cover ideas and such for a release and this one is a good example.

The music is a great example of the different influences that various ethnic music had on Swedish jazz during this period. Many musicians from the eastern part of Europe came to live in Sweden in the 60´s and 70´s, a.o. Okay Temiz and Maffy Falay. There was also a very strong connection to African music though the influence of Don Cherry (that was living in a country house in Tågarp, Skåne) early on with his Swedish family. Furthermore there was a strong South African input with musicians like Gilbert Matthews and Johnny Dyani living in Stockholm at the time… and many many more examples of amazing musicians visiting the land in the north and effecting its jazzhistory quite a bit!

Many Swedish jazz groups in the 60´s and 70´s were incorporating these influences in very creative ways, for instance Bernt Rosengren, Bengt Ernryd, Janne Wallgren and later Rena Rama (with Lennart Åberg and Bobo Stenson) and also Opposite Corner with Gunnar Lindgren as well as the freer improvising of the great collective Iskra.

The whole musician collective of “Ett Minne för livet” with its connections to the prog /psych part of the rock scene in Sweden were also heavily dealing with these influences.

 

We don’t have any info on why´s and how´s  regarding the rejection of this cover version – but we wanted to show this amazing album in a different visual context.

Lennart Åberg is taking the music to same very creative areas.. his soprano sax skills are ACE! We wanna hear more of Mr Åberg!

This is the cover as it later came out:

 

Guido Manusardi – piano

Lennart Åberg – tenor and soprano sax

Red Mitchell – bass

Peter Östlund – drums

 

DC rank this alternative mock up cover/ test pressing as: