Wihk/Gadd/Henryson “Same Tree Different Fruit plays ABBA” (2011)

Same Tree Different Fruit plays ABBA is a delightful celebration of the music of ABBA performed by a world class trio featuring Anders Wihk, Steve Gadd, & Svante Henryson. There are also two special guest appearances by David Sanborn and Robben Ford. I was fortunate enough to discuss the project with Anders Wihk this week and discover how the whole idea was originally born.

Malcolm Moore: What originally inspired you to re-imagine ABBA songs in improvisational jazz/funk/blues styles?

Anders Wihk: I wanted to record songs that aren’t usually played by jazz musicians. I had a few ideas in mind but one night I saw the Mamma Mia musical in Stockholm and I realized that the 2 or 3 ABBA songs that I thought I knew well ended up being ALL of them. I had no idea how great an impact ABBA’s music must have had on me. Growing up in Sweden playing jazz, ABBA wasn’t really something we listened to, to say the least! ABBA wasn’t on my list of options which surprised me because it was the obvious first choice by far.

I started working on the jazzying up and found that it all came so easy thanks to the quality of the music. I understand now why ABBA is still so popular and timeless.

MM: How did you meet Steve Gadd and Svante Henryson? What led you to choose those two musicians for this project? Also, how did David Sanborn and Robben Ford get involved?

AW: I met Steve the first time when he was in Stockholm playing with Randy Crawford. I wanted to discuss this project with him so we met in the hotel lobby. We ended up talking for a long time about everything else but my project. We connected and aside from being colleagues we have become friends.

Svante and I have worked together in the studio a few times and I am always so impressed with how easily he handles not only the electric bass but upright and his main axe, the cello. Svante is a multi-genius and I am so glad that he was available for the recording and tour.

David and I are cousins and Robben is my childhood friend (I gave him his first shiner). Robbens son-in-law is my wife’s brother, who’s bitch happens to be the dam of David’s mutt.

All kidding aside, I wanted a sax solo on one of the songs and David was my first choice. I called him and he agreed to do it. Later I felt that one of the songs needed a ‘Talk to your daughter’ solo so who to call but Robben himself. He said yes and that’s that. Simple if you know how to use a ‘speaking telegraph’!

MM: On certain songs, I seem to hear a nod to Steve’s work with Richard Tee and Michel Petrucciani. Were either of those artists inspiring or influential to you?

AW: Petrucciani not intentionally, but I am really flattered that you think so. Richard Tee, definitely intentional. I practice every day how to play like him. And Steve has promised me that when I can cut it, we will do ‘Take the A Train’ (Tee style) together.

MM: How much rehearsal and preparation went into the arrangement? There are so many spectacular moments, such as Steve’s Latin solos on Money, Money, Money, the meticulously tight riffs toward the end of Mamma Mia, and Svante’s driving, groove-heavy bass line on The Name of the Game. I am extremely impressed on how all of you really made these songs your own and put each of your own musical stamp on them.

AW: Wow, it sound so impressive when you dress the music in such fancy and perceptive words!

No rehearsal but oodles of preparation.

I spent a lot of time on making good demos. That’s the time consuming part. With the finished demo and written music to go with, it made the recording process go quite smooth. The creative process took place before the recording to save time. We only had one week to record and it would be impossible to come up with so many intricate solutions in such a short time.

I approached this like an arranger would, decide everything by the grindstone and then hire musicians to play it. The only difference is that I was one of the musicians. My main contribution was deciding tempo, form, general type of groove, reharmonizations, important bass lines and the concerted rhythmic figures. I certainly didn’t tell Steve how to play his solos!

The collective creative work was more prevalent when rehearsing for the tour. During that process as well as during the tour itself, we all collaborated to find the best solutions to make the music more powerful live. Steve’s enormous experience was of course important here.

MM: Voulez-Vous is such a joyful performance! It sounds like you were all were having a blast. What kind of emotions did you experience recording this project?

It is exciting, I agree. I am glad that I dared to try such a difficult arrangement. It was a little difficult to learn and I still don’t understand how I could hold my breath for such a long time.

MM: You did several live shows last year. How did that go, did the arrangements grow or change at all? What was the reaction from the audience? Do you plan to do more recordings with this band and will there be more live shows, especially in the USA?

AW: We toured Sweden, Japan and South Korea. People went crazy wherever we played. It was so great! Check out the end of this YouTube clip:

www.youtube.com/watch?v=eUOhuDvHdTI&feature=share&list=PL5VoUqHzm642COa_WYKbjihsQ1SKcoXA4

As I mentioned before the arrangements changed radically during the tour – all benefiting the live experience. One interesting thing is that no matter where we played, the song Dancing Queen always brought down the house when the theme was played. Swedes generally associate ABBA with the song they won the Eurovision song contest with – Waterloo.

There is always a plan to record something new! Our next tour opportunity is in May 2013.

I would love to play in the US of A. If you’re a concert promoter and reading this, call me!

MM: One of the best aspects of the album is that no notes are wasted. The spaces that you leave open are as important as the parts you play. How important was this to you when you initially planned this album out? The music is truly organic, there is lots of room to breathe, and this approach really lets the songs, performers, and the arrangements sing.

AW: Right on! That makes me really happy to hear. Why play unimportant notes? It’s easy to theorize but which notes to play and not to play, that’s the question? I wanted the music to be efficient, no more juice than needed to present the ideas. I also feel that this is the way Steve thinks when he plays. Fewer drum hits but the ones that are there really count and are played with precision. Experience coupled with a ‘Kenny Werner’-ish carefree attitude towards the music is valuable when treasuring the spaces in music that life gently and inevitably carves out. Thank you so much for the great questions, Malcolm.

Same Tree Different Fruit.