When the bass player stands out on a record featuring Canadian pianist Oscar Peterson and French violinist Stephane Grappelli, you know that bassist is something special. That was the case with my first exposure to the playing of the legendary Danish jazz bassist Niels-Henning Ørsted Pedersen, on Skol, a Concord re-release of Peterson & Grappelli’s live date originally pressed by Pablo in 1979. I’ve been keeping an eye out for Pedersen’s music since then, but music by the bassist, who died 20 years ago now, is hard to find on these shores. So, hooray for SteepleChase and this audiophile vinyl reissue of Pedersen’s 1976 album Jaywalkin’.
This is a gorgeous album of mid-70s jazz, led by a master in top form. Pedersen is joined by Ole Kock Hansen on electric piano, with Philip Catherine on guitar and Billy Higgins drums. The nine tracks include six Pedersen originals plus three covers that cover the bases from fleet bebop to bossa nova to romantic standard. Throughout, Niels-Henning Ørsted Pedersen’s playing is transfixing, melodic and rhythmic, a commanding presence that’s always front and center in this ensemble.
Which is not to say he’s not matched by the rest of this quartet. The best example is the jaunty title track “Jaywalkin’,” which finds Hansen and Catherine trading masterfully improvised solos over the deep soulful groove laid down by Pedersen and Higgins. Sunny solos from piano and guitar also shine forth on Pederson’s swinging bossa tune “My Little Anna,” an upbeat and playful piece which has pedersen leading with the head melody before those solos come round.
For languid, summery jazz there’s the bluesy lead track “Summer Song,” with the bass and electric piano laying down a meandeering groove over with guitarist Catherine interjects appropriate commentary; and the Antonio Carlos Jobim bossa nova “A Felicidade,” with the bass and guitar switching roles — Pedersen playing the melody and Catherine rhythm guitar chords. Pedersen’s own bossa nova tune “My Little Anna” is uptempo and playful, with Pedersen again playing the melody on the head, with sunny solos from piano and guitar. Pedersen’s tender ballad “Yesterday’s Future,” with the bass again laying down the head melody and sparkling improvisations on piano and guitar, is balanced against Charlie Parker’s intricate bop “Cheryl,” which features a jawdropping unison head on bass and piano.
The program wraps with an intricate bass solo take on the late ’50s standard “That’s All,” closer in spirit to Nina Simone’s cover than Bobby Darin’s uptempo big band hit.
I can’t tell you how the 180 gram vinyl of this reissue sounds but the wav files I got for reviewing purposes sound pretty great. This is prime 1970s soulful jazz with solid arrangements, great tune selection, sequencing and production, played by a locked-in group supporting a young master bassist on what seems to be his first recorded leader date. The vinyl is a no-brainer for the audiophile jazz listener. For the rest of us, the original is available via streaming services.
(SteepleChase, 1976/2025)
