Jan Harbeck Quartet - Variations in Blue

For 39 year-old Jan Harbeck’s third release for Stunt Records, the Danish tenor saxophonist chose a selection of classic standards combined with a couple of new original tunes to create an integrated atmosphere – a mood record with its own special intensity and presence. He spent three years finding the exact right tunes
and wound up with compositions of melodic simplicity that leave space for the interpreter to dig into the basic core of the music without forfeiting dramatic aspects.

The music on VARIATIONS IN BLUE was recorded in the same room without separation between the instruments. When presence and a natural sound are given top priority, one must forego the option of subsequent editing. On VARIATIONS IN BLUE nothing has been cut out or corrected. If your sound system is adjusted correctly, Jan Harbeck should be in the right channel and Walter Smith III in the left.

The two tenors work beautifully together. With respect for the history and material, they have created a soulful remake of the classic jazz sound. However, VARIATIONS IN BLUE is not merely a tribute to jazz of old, it bridges inspirations from earlier to modern jazz. Only two mature musical personas with mutual
respect can make time stand still tenderly and lead the past into the future in such a natural way. Their musicianship is unpretentious and supple, and above all full of love.