Mainland Jazz Collective, from the left: Leonard Werme (alto saxophone), Mikael Wilhelmsson (piano), Erik Tengholm (trumpet), Johan Tengholm (double bass), Oscar Johansson Werre (drums), Hannes Junestav (trombone).
New album released: Mainland Jazz Collective Plays Kille!
Mainland Jazz Collective's fourth album Plays Kille is released! 'Kille' is a card game dating back to the Medieval times, with motives depicting animals, flowers and people in Medieval roles. The members of Mainland Jazz Collective have composed a collection of dramatic, playful and swinging tunes, inspired by the charming and fantasy stimulating pictures ofthe Kille deck for the new album. Beside the regular band, the saxophone player Sebastian Mattebo is featured on Plays Kille. You can stream the music, purchase it digitally and order your CD copy on Bandcamp. You can also listen to the music on all the common platforms, such as Spotify.
The album was released on February 24th, with a release concert in Stockholm at Chicago Swing & Dance Studio. We're also doing a second release concert in Uppsala at Katalin, on March 27th. In April follows a release tour in northern Sweden and Finland, see the konsert tab for a detailed tour schedule!
Mainland Jazz Collective Plays Kille is released on the TengTones record label.
About the band
Mainland Jazz Collective (MJC) is a sextet that distinguishes itself by its musical arrangements and sharp ensemble playing. The band's substantial repertoire of elaborate arrangements, are all written by its members, and contain original compositions as well as reworked old tunes. Ever since Mainland Jazz Collective formed in 2015, it has been creating new music regularly. This has resulted in an always updated repertoire that firmly roots itself in the jazz tradition, and at the same time establishes the group's distinctive sound, being stylistically diverse, eventful and playful. The individual artistic expression of all the band members as improvisers, composers and arrangers, are of course also highlighted.
When Mainland Jazz Collective formed, it was by a group of young and devoted musicians, who since then already have been establishing themselves as professionals in the Swedish jazz scene. The members of Mainland Jazz Collective individually represent some of the most prominent jazz groups in Sweden (Norrbotten Big Band, Stockholm Jazz Orchestra, Bohuslän Big Band, Blue House Jazz Orchestra, to name a few), and has released albums in recent years collaborating with the likes of Håkan Broström (Reassembled by Hannes Junestav Quartet), Hans Backenroth (Trio Circle by Magnus Dölerud, Hans Backenroth and Oscar Johansson Werre). Other recent albums with members of MJC as band leaders include Stories From the Club by Erik Tengholm and Migration by Johan Tengholm. The two brothers released their albums on record label TengTones which they founded together in 2021 and that aside from their own music also has released the records of several great jazz acts in the label's first years!
The members of MJC have also individually recieved several prestigious musical awards, such as Faschings Vänner's award (Erik Tengholm 2017, Hannes Junestav 2019), the Bengt Säve-Söderbergh award (Erik Tengholm 2022), the Ronnie Gardiner Swedish Drummer Deserving Wider Recognition Award (Oscar Johansson Werre 2017).
Mainland Jazz Collective have performed at countless jazz clubs and other venues in Sweden, done yearly summer tours on the Swedish island of Gotland, and have performed at an international jazz festival in Greece (Jazz in July, 2019).
Photos from the Slobodan's Puzzle recording session. Photo: Truls Ingvoldstad
Recordings
Mainland Jazz Collective's most recent release, the band's fourth album titled Plays Kille, was released on record label TengTones in February of 2024. Plays Kille as well as the previous albums Slobodan's Puzzle and The Messenger can be streamed and purchased as digital download or ordered as CD through Mainland Jazz Collective's Bandcamp page.
Mainland Jazz Collective have also previously released Crimson Red (2017). Please send us an e-mail at mainlandjazzcollective@gmail.com if you wish to order a copy of Crimson Red.
1. Arlequin (Leonard Werme)
2. Blaren (Johan Tengholm)
3. Blompottan (Hannes Junestav)
4. Kransen (Leonard Werme)
5. Lilja 1-12 (Erik Tengholm)
6. Wärdshus (Mikael Wilhelmsson)
7. Cawal (Hannes Junestav)
8. Husu (Johan Tengholm)
9. Husar (Oscar Johansson Werre)
10. Brutal cucu (Erik Tengholm)
1. Just A Gigolo (Leonello Casucci)
2. Summertime (George Gershwin)
3. Scorpion (Hannes Junestav)
4. Above The Clouds (Erik Tengholm)
5. Slobodan's Puzzle (Johan Tengholm)
6. Rondo (Leonard Werme)
7. Cubano Chant (Ray Bryant)
8. Dyningar (Lars Gullin)
9. Save Your Love For Me (Buddy Johnson)
10. That Old Feeling (Sammy Fain/Lew Brown)
11. Jeep's Blues (Duke Ellington/Johnny Hodges)
1. The Messenger (Erik Tengholm)
2. Seven Steps To Heaven (Miles Davis/Victor Feldman)
3. Evening In Zagreb (Leonard Werme)
4. Island (Erik Tengholm)
5. Children of the Night (Wayne Shorter)
6. Previous Thought (Hannes Junestav)
7. Pensativa (Clare Fischer)
8. Afro Blue (Mongo Santamaria)
9. Con Alma (Dizzy Gillespie)
10. If I Should Lose You (Ralph Rainger)
11. I Cover The Waterfront (Johnny Green)
1. Hard Bop (Erik Tengholm)
2. Crimson Red (Leonard Werme)
3. Fair Weather (Benny Golson)
4. Poinciana (Nat Simon)
5. In Fact (Hannes Junestav)
6. In Your Own Sweet Way (Dave Brubeck)
7. Moon Rays (Horace Silver)
8. Katrina Ballerina (Woody Shaw)
9. Giant Saints (Trad./John Coltrane)