Recommended: Anders Ammitzboll – “Hymns for Hearts #1”

The mix of dreamy ambiance and incisive melodicism is a winning formula on Hymns for Hearts #1, the debut of bassist Anders Ammitzbøll.  The cheerful smile and focused bounce of “Song for You” possesses the same laid back feel as the hazy “Paola,” a song that drifts in many directions at once.  The double-guitar system of Viktor Sandström and Stian Swesson most often coalesces into a pattern that mimics the subtle disturbances and graceful unity of ripples expanding outward from a tiny patch of ocean, but sometimes they join together and raise up and sing, as they do on “Seven,” or when they join drummer Rasmus Iversen in a shout-to-the-sky moment at the pinnacle of “Paranoid.”  But mostly it’s peace that reigns supreme on this charming session.

The album ends much how it began.  “I’m Coming Home” twitters with life and speaks with a friendly, conversational tone, but always present is that undercurrent of serenity and the sense that a state of tranquility is just a few notes away.

Your album personnel:  Anders Ammitzbøll (bass), Viktor Sandström (guitar), Stian Swesson (guitar) and Rasmus Iversen (drums).

Released on Gateway Music.

Listen to more album tracks on the artist’s Soundcloud page.

Jazz from the Copenhagen, Denmark scene.

Available at:  Amazon