Celebrating Svend Asmussen

The great Danish jazz violinist Svend Asmussen may not have been a household name among jazz fans, but during his long (he died in 2017 at the age of 100) and illustrious career he earned the respect of musicians around the world. One of them is his young countryman Mads Tolling, who recorded this outstanding tribute album just before Asmussen’s death. It’s a warm and loving gift to his hero and features some truly incredible playing (notice in particular his unison passages with guitarist Jacob Fischer on “Take Off Blues”), as well as reminding us of how exciting small-group swing music can be.