All Things Deep - Reviews - Koop: Waltz For Koop

Koop - Waltz For Koop

Nearly three years in the making, Waltz for Koop is the sophomore album for the Swedish duo of Magnus Zingmark and Oscar Simonsson. In the time since their first record, Koop seems to have traveled the world looking for the perfect collaborators, as Terry Callier (America), Earl Zinger (Britain) and Yukimi Nagano (Japan) are called upon for vocal assistance. Zingmark and Simonsson yearn for the days of pre-fusion jazz, with the Clarke/Boland Sextet being a particularly important reference point, so expect taut arrangements with a minimum of electronic enhancement. The entire effect could be likened to Bjork or Stereolab if they decided to do a jazz record. Highlights include Callier's "In A Heartbeat," the title cut and the heavily acclaimed "Summer Sun," one of Gilles Peterson's favorite records of recent memory. The only quibble is with the album's length: with a running time barely over 30 minutes, Waltz seems more like an EP than a real album. I guess that's another trait from the old days that Koop has decided to revive.

Released 2002 on Compost
(Click on cover to buy)

Selected Tracks:

Summer Sun
In A Heartbeat
Modal Mile
Tonight