Mats Skimmelå’s Jazz Score, Bright Days Delivered Sun-Warmed Saxophones and Synaesthesia for the Soul –

Mats Skimmelå aired out the airwaves with the temperate breeze of the melodies in one of his most rejuvenating pieces yet, Bright Days. The Swedish pianist and composer creates warm, melodic instrumental music inspired by jazz, bossa nova and atmospheric soundscapes, and this chill Latin tune brings that sensibility into a beautifully poised quartet setting.

While you cannot replace the real thing, Skimmelå efficaciously visualises the sublimity of strolling through the kind of confluence of scenery, warmth and atmosphere you want to immortalise, something you can feel instilling you with a sense of vitality. Featuring saxophonist Johan Pihlström, Bright Days lets the sax lines carry an unforced lyrical glow, with phrasing that feels conversationally fluid and emotionally astute.

The piano holds the arrangement with its elegant harmonic centre, offering soft movement and tasteful chordal colour. Around it, the rhythm section keeps the release swanky, expressive and uninhibitedly free, letting the Latin jazz aesthetics sway and breathe with sophistication.

Following praise for At Dawn, Skimmelå continues to prove his gift for instrumental storytelling, turning melodic clarity into something restorative rather than merely pretty. Bright Days is the release your mind, body and soul never knew they needed, but the weightlessness it leaves you with, how it loosens all of those psychological knots, is profoundly, holistically medicinal.

Bright Days is now available to stream on all major platforms, including SoundCloud.

Review by Amelia Vandergast