"..Especially the traditional song ‘Didn’t My Lord Deliver
Daniel’ evoked true emotion, as if Blind Willie Johnson’s silhouette
suddenly appeared on the church walls.." -Marcie,
Rootstime.be, Belgium.
"..The
depth of soul in this man's voice is at the least stirring, and at the
most..... entirely captivating.."
- Soundclick.com, USA.
"..The depth of soul in this man's
voice is at the least stirring, and at the most.....entirely captivating.."
-Soundclick.com,
USA.
"..I don't how, but suddenly the
reincarnation of some now long dead Mississippi delta bluesman was playing
his Amistar Reso-Phonic guitar like it was an extension of his being... an
appendage of his soul, a part of his being.." -DenverD,
Denmark.
*
"..Quite
simply, this is a killer blues album!.."
- Kari
Nevalainen, Inner Audio Magazine.
*
"..En
av de bästa svenska bluesskivor jag hört.."
- Lennart
Götesson, Dalademokraten.
*
"..Vällustrysningar
i massor utlovas!.."
-
Hifi & Musik magazine, Sweden.
*
Awesome review in
the HiFi+ magazine, UK!
Side by side with one of
the blues greats of our time, E.C..
*
Fabulöst
trevlig recension i Dalademokraten! Tack för den!
Lennart Götesson,
Dalademokraten, Sweden.
*
Recension
från blueskällaren BRUX i Övik, ur tidningen 7an.
Back to the roots
Blues i bara mässingen tog publiken
tillbaka till 20-talet.
Han kallar sig Bottleneck John, men
heter egentligen Johan Eliasson och bor i Lit utanför Östersund. Han
lirar deltablues på ett genuint sätt så som den lät under 20-talet,
och han gör det på ett fenomenalt sätt. När
han i fredags gästade Perdido Jazz & Blues på Brux, vilket han
gjort flera gånger tidigare, öste han beröm över Blueskällarn.
– Ni har Sveriges coolaste
blueslokal, den enda riktiga juke joint som finns i landet.
Med sig hade han en uppsättning av
sina tjusiga mässingsgitarrer, och även en banjo i mässing. Dessutom
en bastuba "som ser ut som om han hittat den i ett dike någonstans"
som hanterades av Karl Eneland.
Tillsammans bjöd de två på en
riktigt härlig blueskväll, helt unplugged om man undantar den
elektroniska tramplådan som Johan höll takten på. Förutom att Johan
är en suverän gitarrist besitter han också en riktigt bra bluesröst,
nu när Totta Näslund är borta är det nog bara Sven Zetterberg som här
i Sverige kan mäta sig med honom.
Roligt var det också att Bottleneck
John valt lite mer udda blueslåtar, och även en gammal negro
spiritual, som man normalt inte hör på bluesspelningar. Efter
"Blues i bara mässingen" tog lokala Temporary Blues Band över
kvällen, kanske för sista gången i den här tappningen.
Nils Ågren, 7an.
*
A very
nice concert review! En härlig recension från Cookin' i Borås!
Johan Eliasson’s not yet famous, but his
train has arrived at blues junction! He got off at the station and is
waiting to be let in. Open the damned door and get him a seat at the
table. The blues from Sweden is here and it ain’t going back.
Perhaps as if to prove the very essence
of what this web directory of the acoustic blues is fundamentally about,
Johan Eliasson, aka Bottleneck John, is the real deal, playing deep
roots, hard-sliding, hard-core, country blues. The blues has traveled
far and become an international genre, with devotees and exceptionally
awesome players all over the world. This fellow here is as good as it
gets. If you listen to his blues without preconceptions, it becomes
quickly evident that Elisasson is one of today’s great, albeit
unlikely, practitioners of the genre. As many blues musicians from the
non-English speaking world have learned, there often is a bit of
prejudice to overcome. Somehow, it is easier for people to accept UK
blues musicians than those from the continent. Here is a professorial
looking white Swedish musician with soul who seems as far removed from
the authentic blues experience as it gets, yet he’s got it all going
the right way. Perhaps he took the almost farcical stage name of
Bottleneck John, as to overcompensate and fit a bit closer into the
mysterious blues world, so distant from Sweden. If you believe that
musicianship depends on nationality, or that feeling blues music in your
soul requires a certain skin pigmentation, Bottleneck John will be an
easy target. If, on the other hand, you are open minded to the idea that
the blues has set people all over the world on fire, it is undeniable
that good music is everywhere, including in this case in Scandinavia,
where there is a strong blues scene. And once they get that burning
feeling, they are gonna play it and play it well. That requires no
apology.
As the name ‘Bottleneck John’
implies, Eliasson’s claim to fame is his fiery slide playing. When it
comes to that, he’s a hot licks virtuoso, perhaps on of the top in
Europe, and that is saying alot. This Swede can really play the slide
guitar! He sings with a rich, soulful deep tenor, and has a propensity
for the deep-blues in the traditional realm. This guy has the
true-hearted blues!
He just released a fine new CD, aptly
named “Northern Heart, Southern Soul” with some very capable Swedish
sidemen. Eliasson plays 6 and 12 string acoustic guitars, a resonator,
banjo and mandolin on the album. Country blues aficionados will have
much to celebrate and Elisasson has made his mark as one of today’s
most poignant voices in the genre. The blues suffers from too much
repetition and reworks of traditional material, so it is refreshing to
see Eliasson write his own material. It may have been wise to boost
sales by including a few well-known classics for the comfort of
familiarity, but Eliasson seems little interested in marketing. It’s
all good, an excellent album, fun and light-hearted, with an easy-going
spirit
Eliasson needs to get showcased in the
US blues festivals and to get name wider recognition. In the meantime,
definitely put Bottleneck John on your list and check him out!
"..Quite
simply, this is a killer blues album!.." - Kari Nevalainen, Inner
Audio Magazine.
*
Nils Ågren, 7an.
*
*
"..The spirit of blind Willie
Johnson and Son House must surely be watching over Johan.."
- Brian
Harman, Blues Art Journal.
"..A genuine sensation from the cool north.."
-Axel
Melhardt, Jazzland, Austria.
"..During the last song the four musicians played all their best. It
felt like the whole audience forgot to breathe.." -Christina
Pigerl, Mittelbayerische Zeitung, Germany.
"..A complete, talented and generous artist!.." -David
Fraternali, Bluescat.ch, Switzerland.
"..Extraordinary singer with a powerful and expressive voice.." -Philippe
Le Guennec, Blues & Co. magazine, France.
"..You’ll return again and again to the ghostly tones of “Blind
Willie’s tune” which effortlessly gives Ry Cooders “Paris, Texas”
a good run for it’s money.." -
Roy
Bainton, Blues Matters Magazine, UK.
*
*
A new
review from THE TREASURY OF BLUES!
Artist: Bottleneck John
Title: Northern Heart, Southern Soul
Label: Bark Lake Records BLR 226
The invitingly soft wailing, almost morose tenor voice of Johan
‘Bottleneck John’ Eliasson is by itself a wonderfully formidable
instrument but, when matched with his heartfelt and passionate
approach to his music and the peerlessly intricate delicate dexterity
that he shows with both resonator and twelve stringed acoustic guitars
his performances become breathtaking. Born and still residing in the
small town of Lit in the delta region of deepest Sweden; where, from the
age of three Johan was encouraged by his grandparents and their friends
to listen to Swedish Folk tunes, Spirituals and Gospel.
It is the combination of these various types and styles of music that
led him to discover the richness and wonder of the down-home, rural and
country blues that was not only hugely popular but was also found in
great abundance in the twenties and thirties in and around the delta
region.
Johan has nurtured and honed his incredible talent to such a degree that
you could be forgiven for mistaking his original deep country blues
recordings for the genuine article, not, that any deception is intended.
The inclusion of period instruments such as the calming sound of the
tuba merely accentuates the period feel to the music.
Throughout the sixteen numbers here, Johan effortlessly manages to
capture intense emotional highs and lows, which range from happy go
lucky foot-stomping goodtime music and enjoyably solid crunching slide,
to stark images of sadness and despair which exude more than a palpable
sense of loneliness and desperation. Nonetheless, this is a cracking
album and should grace anybody’s collection.
The spirit of blind Willie Johnson and Son House must surely be watching
over Johan.
"..Eliasson
has made his mark as one of today’s most poignant voices in the
genre.." -
Frank
Matheis, thecountryblues.com, USA.
*
Here's
a nice review from Rootsville, Belgium.
Bottleneck
John , met uw goedkeuren hierna BJ genoemd , zag door de
uitbarsting van de Ijslandse vulkaan (neen ik waag me niet aan de naam)
onlangs een paar optredens in België.. ...heu...de rook ingaan.
Maar niet getreurd , hij komt terug, sla er regelmatig Rootsville’s
onovertroffen concertkalender op na en mis hem niet want BJ is goed....zéér
goed !
Wist hij ons vorig jaar
nog te paaien met zijn project BJ & The Hound Dogs en de
daarbijhorende release Howlin’ The Blues ,slaat hij ons nu murw met zijn
nieuwste soloworp: Northern Heart, Southern Soul.
Een zalig album heeft BJ
gemaakt, aangrijpend, soulvol en met een expressieve stem.
Sluit je ogen en je zou zweren dat je naar een doorleefde, oude zwarte
Mississippi Blues meester zit te luisteren.
BJ doet op deze release een meesterlijk zet door zijn “je bij de keel
grijpende songs” wat af te wisselen met folky tintjes er door te
weven..hier en daar een streepje viool, mandoline, banjo, kazoo.
Alles meesterlijk
gebracht, we gaan niet alle 16 (!) door hem zelf geschreven nummers gaan
bespreken , want het ene hoogtepunt volgt het andere op, meer dan 66 (!!)
minuten ga je mee op zijn trip door traditionele, akoestische blues.
Zijn stijl kan je wat vergelijken met Son House, de invloeden zijn
uiteraard Robert Johnson en Blind Willie Johnson maar wie werd door deze
heren niet beïnvloed kan je stellen. Wat ons het meest van al nog
imponeerde is dat zijn songs gerust tussen die van de aangehaalde meesters
mogen plaatsnemen.
Op deze release start een song met het aanslaan van een tractormotor, we
zeggen niet welk lied omdat we graag zouden hebben dat je naar ‘s mans
samples zou gaan luisteren (link)...Normaal gezien zijn we niet zo onder
de indruk van dit soort speciale effecten maar het werkt hier zo
illustrerend...Trek mee de desolate velden in , laid back, en geniet...
Een fantastisch album,
doen,
want het is een klein meesterwerkje !
(And
translated, thanks to Bert Harte..)
Bottleneck John, with your permission hereafter
referred to as BJ, recently watched a few
Belgium
gigs go up in smoke due to the eruption of an
Iceland
volcano (I don’t dare to pronounce the name). But no sobbing, he’ll be
back. Just check Rootsville’s unsurpassed concert calendar now and then
and don’t miss him because BJ is good… Really good!
He teased us last year with his project BJ & The
Hound Dogs and the implemented release ofHowlin’ the blues, this time he knocks us out with his new solo
release: Northern Heart, Southern Soul.
BJ has made a delightful album, poignant, soulful
and with an expressive voice.
Close your eyes and you could swear you’re listening
to a weathered, old black
Mississippi
blues master.
On this cd BJ makes a masterly move by weaving some
folky shades through his “catch you by the throat” songs, with a dash
of violin, mandolin, banjo, kazoo.
All brought masterly, we’re not going to talk over all 16(!)
self-written songs because one highlight follows after the other, you’ll
join him for over 66(!!) minutes on his trip through traditional, acoustic
blues.
His style can somewhat be compared with Son House, influences of
Robert Johnson and Blind Willie Johnson but one can state: who was NOT
influenced by these gentlemen.
What impressed us most is that his songs fit easily
between those of the masters mentioned above. On this release one song
commences with the starting of a tractor-engine, we’re not saying which
song because we like you to listen to this man’s samples(risky)…Normally
we’re not very impressed by such special effects but here it works so
illustrative…Wander into the desolate fields, lay back and enjoy…
A fantastic album, get it, because it’s a little
masterpiece!
Newspaper
article/review about our gig in Janakkala, Finland!!
*
" I was certainly impressed with this set. Some enterprising label
should certainly pick him up and put his music on general release. " -Norman
Darwen, BluesArt Journal, Austria.
" Able to bring you instantaneously to the moistness and heat of the
clubs of the south of the USA, Bottleneck John creates a strange
atmosphere once his CD is placed on the turntable.. One feels plunged into
an old black and white movie.. " -Fred
Delforge, ZicaZic Music Magazine, France.
" It’s hard to describe how strong and great his blues feeling
is.." -Mladen Lončar,
Rock Oko Radio, Croatia.
" Didn't My Lord Deliver Daniel" really opened my eyes to the
power that is the voice of Bottleneck John. Not since Paul Robeson have I
heard someone master this song with a vocal effort that is nothing less
than thunderous. If there was ever a poster child for how this form of
music should be done then look no further than Bottleneck John."-Steve
Landy, Black Cat, USA.
" This voice has an enormous volume and rich expressiveness not only
for ambitious spirituals like I woke up this Morning or Sweet Chariot but
also by fast songs like Talk to me baby or an expressional version of Ray
Charles Georgia on my mind.." -Oliver
Hochkeppel, Sûddeutsche Zeitung, Germany.
"..don't know what to say... Your CD blew me away. I'm sure that God
loves the blues and this is the reason he gave you such a voice, just
great. Together with intense slide playing you created a time-travel
machine that took me on a journey to the Delta of 1920s. I'm very
impressed!.." -PD, Poland.
" The most exciting artist of the year, Johan Eliasson, who sings
with, most likely, the blackest voice in Sweden and plays slide guitar in
the same eerie haunted way as Blind Willie Johnson.." -Swedish
Radio P4 Värmland.
" He can create a mood. If you close your eyes he'll take you
somewhere else man. Not many people can do that!!! " -
Ed
Pavy, Canada.
*
Here's
an article from a morning paper, nearly one million readers every day..
*
En
artikel från tidningen Örnsköldsviks Allehanda!!
Historisk bluesresa
Bottleneck John Band från
Östersund har specialiserat sig på tidig amerikansk blues med rötterna
djupt nere i 1920- och 30-talets Missisippidelta. Här spelar de på
Blueskällar´n i Örnsköldsvik.
Resan till USA och bluesens
Missisippi hösten 2006 var en omtumlande upplevelse för en redan hängiven
bluesfantast.
I fredags spelade, sjöng och berättade Bottleneck John, eller Johan
Eliasson som han egentligen heter om sitt stora historiska bluesintresse.
På lördag kväll gjorde han samma sak på Metropol i Härnösand.
-För mig är det närapå lika viktigt att kunna historien och bakgrunden
till musiken som musiken själv, säger Johan en stund före fredagskvällens
spelning på Blueskällaren Brux.
USA-resan härom året gav Johan än mer vilja och lust att ytterligare
forska i den tidiga bluesens och jazzens uppkomst och villkor.
- Man förstår de tidiga arbetssångernas helt nödvändiga roll i det
hemska arbete slavarna fick utföra på de milsvida bomullsfälten. De försvann
faktiskt i den fjärran horisonten, så jättelika var de och där under
den stekande solen i zenit för flera hundra år sedan kom också bluesen
och negro spirituals att skapa grunden för den tidiga jazzens utveckling
i USA, säger Johan.
Han sjunger gärna på mysiga klubbar som Blueskällar´n och Metropol i Härnösand,
men gärna också i kyrkor. Senast i Örnsköldsvikstrakten i samband med
en musikfestival i Själevads kyrka häromåret.
-Det är något gripande och storslaget att få sjunga de här tidiga,
ofta varmt religiösa bluesmelodierna och texterna i en kyrka. Melodier
och texter som präglas av det arbete, slit och lidande människor
tvingades utstå, men också av den varma empati och sanna Gudstro som
fick dem att orka vidare, säger Johan.
De här olika musikaliska uttrycken från 1910-, 20- och 30-talens
Missisippidelta, och låtar av legender som Robert Johnson, Bukka White
och Muddy Waters med flera har få om någon uttolkare av samma genuina
historiska äkthet och intresse som Johan Eliasson. Med sig på Blueskällar´n
hade han Stefan Swén munspel, Mattias Nordqvist piano och Lars Åstrand,
mandolin och fiol.
-Greger Jacobsson,
Öviks Allehanda, Sweden.
*
*
A
review from France. And it's a good one, I'm a happy man..!!
"..Jouer
le blues acoustique du delta du Mississippi quand on est originaire de Suède
est un exercice plutôt original mais qui peut s’avérer payant dès
lors que la manière de le faire est sincère et que le résultat colle au
plus juste au genre recherché. Affichant une voix qui n’est pas sans
rappeler celle de Son House et un jeu de guitare digne d’un Robert
Johnson ou d’un Muddy Waters, Johan Eliasson n’a en rien usurpé son
surnom de Bottleneck John et s’il a déjà eu la chance de jouer dans
des shows télévisés devant près d’un million de personnes, il est un
des animateurs imperturbables des juke joints de la région d’Östersund
… On le découvre au travers d’un ouvrage hors commerce qui fait
office de carte de visite …
Capable
de vous plonger instantanément dans la moiteur des clubs du Sud des USA,
Bottleneck John tapisse la pièce d’une atmosphère un peu étrange dès
lors que cette rondelle prend place dans la platine. On se sent plongé
dans un vieux film noir et blanc où les fantômes hantent les pianos et où
des danseuses un brin dénudées aguichent le client pour le pousser à la
consommation. Rien n’est laissé au hasard, jusqu’aux craquements
vintage qui rappellent les 78-Tours d’époque usés jusqu’à la trame
… Ajoutez à cela que non seulement le jeu du bonhomme qui excelle en
slide mais aussi sa voix particulièrement riche sentent bon l’écurie
et que l’ensemble tourne aussi bien sur du blues roots que sur des
influences gospel et même barrelhouse et vous tombez immanquablement sur
le cul grâce à des pièces sur lesquelles ont jurerait entendre Charley
Patton ou encore Blind Lemon Jefferson. Bête de live, Johan Eliasson se
produit en solo mais aussi en duo et même en formation complète et fait
mouche à chaque fois, que ce soit dans des concerts privés chez les
particuliers, dans les églises, dans les bars et même dans les écoles où
il aime à partager sa connaissance du blues ou plutôt des blues avec les
élèves … Il suffit de poser une oreille attentive pour être convaincu
que l’essayer … c’est l’adopter ! Chérie, devine qui vient
dîner ce soir.."
And
translated, thanks to Jim Petit and Babel-Fish..!!
"..To
play the acoustic blues of the Mississippi delta when one is originating
from Sweden is rather original but it can prove to be worth while since
the manner of making it is sincere and that the result fits so well in the
genre.
With
a voice sounding like Son House’s and a guitar playing worthy of a
Robert Johnson or Muddy Waters, Johan Eliasson truly lives up to his
nickname of Bottleneck John and he’s already played
in front of nearly a million of people on TV shows,
he’s one of the famous players of the Juke Joints in the area of Östersund...
This man with the strings which cry the blues have a secret dream: to come
to play in France! We discovered him through work of exceptional trade
which acts as his calling card...
Able to bring you instantaneously to the moistness and heat of the clubs
of the south of the USA, Bottleneck John creates a strange atmosphere once
his CD is placed on the turntable..
One feels plunged into an old black and white movie where ghosts
hauntingly play the piano and where
almost naked women seduce the customers to make them drink more.
Nothing is left to random, there’s even
the cracking sound of the 78 RPM
vintage record player..
Add
to this the man’s excellent slide playing and his incredible voice and
as the CD unit turns out the blues roots with gospel influences and even
barrelhouse you fall inevitably on the bottom thanks to the music where we
would swear to hear Charley Patton or Blind Lemon Jefferson. A beast of
the live music stage, Johan Eliasson performs solo but also in duo’s and
even in full bands, in
private concerts,
in the churches, the bars and even in the schools where he share his
knowledge of the blues with the students.
It
is enough to listen attentively to be convinced that when you’ve heard
him... You’d want to adopt him! Darling,
guess who comes for dinner this evening..."
-Fred
Delforge, ZicaZic Music Magazine, France.
*
"..The
Van Gogh of European bluesmen.."
- Blues Matters
Magazine, UK.
A
review from the Süddeutsche Zeitung!!
And
translated:
A
Swede has the blues..
"..If
you went down to Cafe Pegasus last saturday, you felt like starting out
from the neighbouring aeroplane-repair factory on a long, long trip.
Touching spirituals and raw delta-blues like from New Orleans or Texas
filled the hall.
The guy, who is crying his soul out during his songs and playing the
reso-guitar like the old masters, isn´t from the southern states of
America but from the north of Europe.
The
Swedish Johan Eliasson, from a little town named Östersund shows –
something only possible in music – that you don’t have to be a
coloured person or even be in the USA to have the blues and to play it
authentically.
Rudolf Spindler was told about this man, nick-named Bottleneck John,
through a reference and became so enthusiastic, that he decided to set up
a small club-tour through Bavaria for him. Like in Abensberg, Landshut and
other places the numerous audience in the Pegasus can be happy about a
discovery!
The
tall of stature, mid-thirty Eliasson is a real specialist in his music.
The learnings that he made in Sweden, is no different to the way of the
North-American musicians.
As a child Eliasson began to sing, at first Bellmann and other sensitive
Swedish classicals. Soon you found him in gospel-choirs and there he
picked up his preference and destiny. Later he also started playing in
some R&B-bands, and now his heart always beats for the acoustic guitar
blues.
The
passionate collector (vintage and reso-guitars) not only shows
considerable abilities by playing bottleneck on his, for slide-tone tuned,
Amistar´s, but also a huge voice.
This voice has an enormous volume and rich expressiveness not only for
ambitious spirituals like “I woke up this Morning” or “Sweet Chariot”
but also by fast songs like “Talk to me baby” or an expressional
version of Ray Charles “Georgia on my mind”.With
his fellow Swede, Mattias Nordqvist at the piano, Eliasson has by his side
an equal musician in the band, he always gives him enough room to play
some solos and syncompated escapades. The same goes for two other guys in
the quartet. This is a
praise for the young drummer Stefan Ebn, and only natural for the
bass-veteran Gary Todd who has played with Don Ellis and numerous of
jazzbands.
Four
authentic musicians, by which classics like Robert Johnsons
“Crossroads” come fast and relaxed at the same time and the groove is
still going on til the end. Soon Eliasson goes on his his first US-tour,
and then some people will be surprised, because this Swede lets some more
established blueser’s look “very old”.."
*
*
Here's
a really, really nice review on one of my Copenhagen Blues Festival gigs..!!
When Johan Eliasson stopped
talking and he let "Bottleneck John" sit down...well... magic
happened.
I don't how, but suddenly
the reincarnation of some now long dead Mississippi delta bluesman was
playing his Amistar Reso-Phonic guitar like it was an extension of his
being... an appendage of his soul, a part of his being.
And when he sang it was like
some alien's mother ship had tractor-beamed that 35 year old Swedish born
Johan Eliasson into its evil airborne lab...scraped out Johan and stuffed
him with the insides of an old black man with bad teeth...fresh from a
full day of back breaking pickin' in the hot and dusty cotton fields.
[Now listen readers, I know
what I'm talking about: Born a mile and a half from the corner of Beale
and Main Streets in Memphis Tennessee, I grew up in a house less than 200
meters from a cotton field in West Memphis Arkansas. Hey, I know a little
something about about cotton sack breaking and acking back, toothless
black men and their blues--at least I have seen it.]
Real blues...the stuff that
comes from the heartache and pain of real life in the fertile fields of
the broad delta of the mighty Mississippi river back during those terrible
times of inequality. John's were REAL blues, or a so close
substitute that it was impossible (for me) to tell the difference. "Bottleneck
John" is not some slick, button-downed studio hawker with a digitized,
synthesized, commercialized and focus group selected "unique and
marketable sound".
Nope, this is like what
Robert Johnson actually played on the front porch of some Mississippi
River delta grocery store, while sittin' in a rocker and singin' the roots
of what has today become "The Blues".
But, Robert Johnson was not
in Copenhagen that Friday night--this was "Bottleneck John", and
when I closed my eyes it became so real that I could almost hear the pops
and scratches on the records of the 1950s...
-DenverD, Denmark.
*
"..It's
as if Son House's voice has come alive again. Deeply moving!.."
- Don
Hooper, Unplugged Records, USA.
*
Great
review from the Felsenkeller!!
Versunken
in seinem Gesang: Johan Eliasson Foto: Pigerl
Musik, fast
wie in einer Jazzbar in New York Andächtige Stimmung beim Blues-Konzert von Johan Eliasson und
seiner Band im Kulturkeller
Von Christina Pigerl
SCHWANDORF. Für ausgelassene Stimmung gesorgt hat am Freitagabend
die Johan-Eliasson-Band im Kulturkeller an der Fronberger Straße.
Der schwedische Gitarrist Eliasson verzauberte die Zuhörer mit
ergreifenden Spirituals und dem wahren Blues. Musik war immer sein
Leben. Er war gerade einmal drei Jahre alt, da nahm sein Großvater
schon die ersten Lieder des noch sehr jungen Sängers auf Tonband
auf. Heute gehört Eliasson zu den besten Musikern, die die
Blues-Szene in Skandinavien zu bieten hat. Dass es Eliasson dabei
ausgerechnet bei seiner „Acoustic Blues und Spirituals“-Tour
zum ersten Mal nach Bayern verschlägt, grenzt an ein Wunder. Die
Schwandorfer freuten sich, denn das Konzert vom Freitag kann
getrost bereits jetzt als ein kultureller Höhepunkt des Jahres
betrachtet werden.
Erste Probe war am Mittwoch
Kaum zu glauben auch: Eliasson und der schwedische Jazzpianist
Mattias Nordquis, der Abensberger Schlagzeuger Stephan Ebn und der
Kontrabassist Gary Todd –eine lebende Jazz-Legende – haben am
vergangenen Mittwoch zum ersten Mal ihr Programm zusammen geübt.
Der musikalischen Leistung aber war das wahrlich nicht anzumerken.
„Blues ist mein Leben“, verkündete Eliasson zu Beginn des
Konzertes. Und bereits nach dem ersten Stück, dem Spiritual „Stay
on Jesus“, wusste jeder Zuhörer, was er damit meinte. Ein Glück
also, dass Johan Eliasson vor fünf Jahren die Spirituals und den
damit verbundenen Blues entdeckte. In seinen Stücken bewies er
das nötige Feingefühl – sowohl auf der Gitarre, als auch
gesangstechnisch –, den typischen Spiritualcharakter aufleben zu
lassen. Die tiefsinnigen Texte wurden durch interessante
Kontrabass-Improvisationen und wunderbar lyrische und jazzige
Fillins und Walking-Bässe am Klavier verstärkt. Beeindruckend
war vor allem eine überarbeitete Version von „Amazing Grace“,
belebend und einfühlsam gespielt.
Von wegen das letzte Stück…
Spätestens ab „Blues will feeling“ konnte man den
Felsenkeller leicht mit einer Jazzbar irgendwo in New York
vergleichen. Die traditionelle Musik aus der Delta-Region im Süden
der USA versetzte die Zuhörer in eine ausgelassene und angenehm
entspannte Stimmung. Bekannte Spirituals wie „Swing low, sweet
chariot“ führten zur Hochstimmung.
Beim letzten Stück „When the green gras grows“ zogen die vier
Musiker nochmals alle Register. Ab und an glaubte man beinahe,
dass alle das Atmen vergessen hätten, so andächtig lauschten die
Schwandorfer. Die Zuschauer waren fasziniert von dem hohen
musikalischen und tonalen Anspruch, mit dem Eliasson diese alte
Musik wiederbelebte. Dass es daher noch lange nicht beim
„definitiv letzten Stück“ an diesem Abend blieb, war
vorhersehbar…
-Christina
Pigerl.
And
translated..!!
Devout
feeling at the Blues Concert in the Cultural-Cellar with Johan
Eliasson and his band
"..With
enthusiasm and feeling the Johan Eliasson Band provided the
cultural-cellar on the Fronberger road. The swedish guitarist
enchants the audience with moving, amitious spirituals and the
true blues.
Music
has always been in his life. He was only 3 years old, when his
grandfather recorded his first songs on tape. Today, Eliasson belongs
to the best musicians the blues scene in Scandinavia has to offer.
That he comes on his first "acoustic blues and
spirituals-tour" to Bavaria
borders on a miracle.
The
Schwandorf audience was pleased, because the Friday’s concert
can be regarded confidently already as a cultural high point of
the year.The
fact that the bands first concert together was on Wednesday was
hard to believe: Eliasson and the swedish pianist Mattias
Nordqvist, the Abensberger drummer Stephan Ebn and the double-bass
player Gary Todd – a living jazzlegend – made their program
the first time on wednesday..
But the musical performance was unbelievable.
Blues
is my life, said Eliasson at the beginning of the concert. And
already after the first piece,
the spiritual “Stayed on Jesus”, the audience knew what he
meant with
it.
Fortunately he found the spirituals and the blues for himself some
five years ago.
During
his songs he has the needed sensitivity and feeling, both on his
guitar and with his voice, to keep the spirit high. The profound, intimate
lyrics are complemented by interesting bass-improvisations and
marvellously lyric and jazzy fill-ins and walking-basses on the
piano. Most impressive was his version of “Amazing Grace”.At
the latest starting from "Blues with a feeling" one
could easily compare the
Felsenkeller with
a jazz bar in New York.
The
traditional music from the delta region in the south of the USA
shifted the listeners into an omitted and pleasantly eased mood.
Well
known, classic spirituals like “Swing low, sweet chariot” are
the high-points. During the last song “Where the green grass
grows” the four musicians played all their best. It felt like
the whole audience forgot to breathe, with such devoutness the
Schwandorfers listened.
The
spectators were fascinated by the high musical and tonal skill,
with which Eliasson makes this old music form living. One thing
was sure, that this wouldn’t be the last song of this evening…"
Translation
by
Christian Prechtl - Thank you, bro!!!!!