Svend Asmussen - Svend Asmussen at Slukafter (1984/2020)

The great, vastly underrated violinist Svend Asmussen teams up with the talented swing clarinetist and altoist Arne Domnerus for this enjoyable outing, reissued on CD in 1989. With stimulating playing by an all-star rhythm section (pianist Bengt Hallberg, guitarist Rune Gustafsson, bassist Niels-Henning Ørsted Pedersen, and drummer Ed Thigpen), the two lead voices sound fairly inspired. The repertoire mixes standards (such as "Exactly Like You," "Pent Up House," and "Body and Soul," which finds Domnerus quoting from Coleman Hawkins) and a few lesser-known obscurities (most notably "Believe It Beloved") with two appealing Asmussen originals. The interplay between the musicians and the consistently swinging results should make this release from the Swedish Phontastic label of strong interest to mainstream jazz collectors.