Per Henrik Wallin Albums (13)
'Burning in Stockholm'
Release Date 11/23/2004
Tracks 1
Label Atavistic
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'Dolphins, Dolphins, Dolphins'
Release Date 7/15/2002
Tracks 12
Label Dragon
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What The Critics Say
On this recording made about three years after a terrible accident, pianist Per Henrik Wallin shows he has lost none of his stamina and might even be reenergized by the presence of two younger and talented musicians, saxophonist Mats Gustafsson and drummer Kjell Nordeson. The disc is divided about equally between trios and either solos or duo combinations. While this recording is steeped in the European free improvisation canon, references to the American form abound. Often, as on the extended piano solo "J.W.," Wallin acknowledges his debt to Thelonious Monk, stride, and the blues, and he is not afraid of concluding with a rendition of the standard "I Should Care." Widely considered an heir to German saxophonist Peter Brötzmann, Gustafsson does blow with ferocious intensity and abandon, but he also proves to be quite comfortable in more quiet and minimalist settings where the trio produces carefully crafted music. He makes admirable use of polyphonics, and it is a thrill to hear him roar, skronk, hiss, or hum. Although Nordeson does not get as much of the spotlight as his two cohorts, his precise drumming makes an essential contribution to a recording that has a cerebral quality appropriately balanced by emotionally charged playing. Dolphins, Dolphins, Dolphins isn't exactly easy to digest at first, but repeated and attentive listening is definitely rewarding. ~ Alain Drouot, All Music Guide
'Proklamation I/Farewell to Sweden'
Release Date 1/1/2002
Tracks 21
Label Hat Hut
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What The Critics Say
In his enthusiastic liner notes, journalist Peter Niklas Wilson calls unsung Swedish pianist Per Henrik Wallin "one of the great jazz pianists of our time." Perhaps he is, and this telling double-disc release should enhance his reputation considerably. The first CD features the pianist in duo with drummer Sven-Åke Johansson in a set of ten improvisations, each called a "Proklamation," while Wallin leads a trio on the second one in which the focus is on classics from the bop repertory (such as Sonny Clark's "Voodoo" and Freddie Redd's "Farewell to Sweden"), sprinkled with originals by Wallin. At heart, the pianist is an angular, somewhat quirky performer, influenced heavily by Thelonious Monk, with a foot firmly planted in post-Monk harmonies and rhythms. What makes Wallin so compelling, though, is his grasp of music reaching back decades, so that he may, for example, suddenly interrupt an abstract excursion with a touch of swing or stride, after which he immediately returns to what he was originally doing. The results are appealingly humorous, rather than jarring, as Wallin is never less than tasteful. Johansson's off-center drums keep the pianist off-guard, never letting him lull into a preconceived groove. These splendid discs should rightfully attract some attention for Wallin, a long-neglected mini-giant of the keyboard. ~ Steven Loewy, All Music Guide
What The Critics Say
Per Henrik Wallin is hardly known outside his native Sweden, but that's simply because he doesn't play out or record much. That's of little consequence to anybody but the listener who craves more of his strangely beguiling pianism. This set, recorded live at a summertime high school in front of a few friends, is Wallin at his best and most eccentric. His choice of material, a couple of originals, a large batch of tunes from the Broadway shows of the '20s and '30s -- some of which are jazz standards -- and one Monk number, is eclectic, pyrotechnically astonishing, and truly and weirdly instinctual. Wallin plays melodies and harmonies faithfully in tunes such as "A Ghost of a Chance," "You Don't Know What Love Is," "I Didn't Know What Time It Was," "At Last," "Stairway to the Stars," and more. It's in the breaks and middle eights where Wallin lets his bravado and nonchalance of approach take over. Able to play notes as streamingly and as fluidly as Oscar Peterson and as percussively as Bud Powell or Thelonious Monk, with the directional changeability of Art Tatum, Wallin takes his solos to extremes, pushing the harmonic and rhythmic walls to the brink of disintegration with the insertion of other tunes, carnival melodies, endless arpeggio runs of radical muscularity in a ballad, an inversion of live that leads out onto a ledge it seems impossible to come back from, and more. He is dazzling with his sheer verve to be sure, but it is the substance of his pianism, with its rainbow chromaticism and punchy legato phrasing, that is nearly overwhelming in its joy of expression. This man is a pianist's pianist. ~ Thom Jurek, All Music Guide
'1986-87: Where Is Spring'
Release Date 1/1/1987
Tracks 11
Label Dragon Of Sweden
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