Cajsa Zerhouni - Estuary (2019)

Swedish jazz vocalist Cajsa Zerhouni debuted in 2018 with My Billie, an EP celebrating the musical heritage of the great Billie Holiday, but devoted most of 2019 to crafting and recording her full-length album Estuary, which rightly puts the spotlight on Zerhouni herself. Next to carefully chosen gems from the American Songbook, reborn into arrangements where steadfast traditions are sprinkled with a dash of impressionism and freeform, Zerhouni introduces a few creations from her own pen as well as that of a few co-writers, for example the alluring title track. Zerhouni's voice is as smooth as silk, intimate, personal and presents the well-arranged programme with laid-back articulation and playful timing, helming her team of Swedish elite jazzers, pianist Mattias Lindberg, bassist Arvid Jullander and drummer Peter Danemo, capped by the inclusion of brilliant Berlin-based saxophonist Birgitta Flick. Cajsa Zerhouni manages to convey her music with that urgency and intimacy that captures the attention, her willingness to tell a story evident with each track, an enviable quality that she shares with only the best jazz singers. She is a rare talent indeed!

Cajsa Zerhouni, vocals
Birgitta Flick, tenor saxophone
Mattias Lindberg, piano
Arvid Jullander, bass
Peter Danemo, drums