Magnus Carlson & The Moon Ray Quintet

(SWE)
soul jazz with psychedelic rock & folk influence

Weeping Willows vocalist Magnus Carlson realized his long time dream and made a very jazzy album, where he interprets carefully picked songs from 60’s artists, like Mose Allison, Mel Tormee, Pentangle, The Zombies and The Doors. It swings at once warmly and very coolly. The Moon Ray Quintet, who played on the record, will perform those nuggets at Pori Jazz – and probably a couple of surprises, too.

Carlson picked the band from the cream of Swedish jazz. Hornmen Goran Kajfes and Per “Ruskträsk” Johansson, bassist Peter Forss and keyboardist Carl Bagge, who favours Fender Rhodes, Celeste and Hammond B-3, are already band mates in Oddjob, so fine-tuning has been taken care of. Drummer Lars Skoglund has kept the rhythm for Lykke Li and Laakso.

Carlson himself is a well-known figure in Finland, as Weeping Willows always play to full houses here. Together he and The Moon Ray Quintet melt 60’s jazz, rock and folk into a seamless groovy whole that also has a touch of today in it.