Take it easy!

The Danish jazz scene flourished during World War Two and the period is known as "the golden age" - the foundation of Danish jazz. And pianist Leo Mathisen captured the essence of the times with his elegant version of Fats Waller's "Take It Easy."

"Take it easy boy, boy/spend every dime/ have a good time," he would sing, as his teeth sank ever deeper and deeper into the cigar, which was his permanent inventory, lodged firmly in the corner of his mouth.
 
A little rebellion
The American musical genre of jazz had come to Denmark in the 1920s and 1930s. Great artists such as Louis Armstrong, Coleman Hawkins, Fats Waller, Duke Ellington and Benny Carter inspired Danish audiences with their visits.

At that time jazz was regarded as something rebellious - just as rock and roll was to be later on in the 1950s. The fact was that just cultivating an American musical style was itself something of a rebellious act during the German occupation. Theatres and revues were equally rebellious in their way of cultivating an unprovable duplicity at this time. New jazz dives shot up all over the place and the number of new record releases exploded. The war may well have set limits on input from the outside world but Danish jazz musicians were still able to go on improving their style, their inspiration rooted in the swing music of the 1930s.

Star soloists
"It don't mean a thing, if it ain't got that swing," as Duke Ellington wrote in 1932. Bruno Henriksen had a big swing orchestra, whereas the others had smaller bands which were better suited to playing in tiny, intimate public bars and clubs.

Leo Mathisen, violinist Svend Asmussen, trumpeter Boerge Roger Henrichsen and pianist Kjeld Bonfils were just some of the major jazz soloists of the period. Not to forget a young pianist by the name of Bent Fabricius-Bjerre who also made his appearance at that time. In short it was a true golden age. Where today would you find better examples of physical pulse, timing, unity of execution and soloists? The balance between abandon, tight discipline and being laid back? Isn't that the very essence of jazz?

Peter Elsnab is a music journalist and Jesper Nykjaer Knudsen a culture journalist.