Blackbird

This inspired offering from the Norwegian quartet Rubber Soul should please both hard-core jazz and Beatles enthusiasts in equal measure. Rubber Soul Quartet are particularly fascinated by the strong melodies, the harmonic moods, and the rhythmic drive of the songs. With respectful reference to the original melodies, the quartet play their re-arranged jazz interpretations in a collective way, where 9 of 11 tracks are instrumentals. The goal is not to copy, but to improvise and swing; to disassemble the musical building blocks - and put them back together again.

According to Paul McCartney, the classic guitar accompaniment for "Blackbird" was inspired by J.S. Bach's "Bourr?e in E minor", a beautiful lute piece that he and George Harrison tried to learn on guitar as teenagers. Rather than baroque music or American standards from the 1930s, 40s and 50s though, this record consists of English standards from the 1960s. All but one (George Harrison) are made by one of music history's most influential songwriter partnerships. The compositions are from Liverpool and London, distilled in New York and Rio, and bottled in Oslo!