Judith Nijland - A Jazz Tribute To Abba (2016)

Judith Nijland transforms Swedish Pop into universal Jazz with her new album, A Jazz Tribute to Abba.

Abba and Jazz seem like an odd mix of styles and before I actually listened to this album I wasn't sure what to expect. Would Nijland just go for a straight conversion of the songs from Pop to Jazz? Would she rework them beyond all recognition? Do Abba songs lend themselves to Jazz reworkings?

Nijland takes each track and makes it her own as she masterfully strips each one bare and reworks every track from the ground up. Some are instantly recognisable and accessible, while others take a little time to grow on you.

The only song that took me an age to warm to was 'Dancing Queen'. This is partly because the original is such a memorable track, that the Jazz version just sounded a little off. But, stick with it, the rewards are worth it.

There are 12 songs (47 min, 09 sec) on the album. It throws us in at the deep end with 'I Do, I Do, I Do, I Do, I Do' and closes on the right note with 'Money, Money, Money'.

All I can say is, thank goodness she didn't tackle 'Super Trouper' - that would have been incredibly difficult to get right. Nick Smithson