Gunilla Törnfeldt

Behind the Mask 

Rating 4/5 
"Gunilla Törnfeldt sings with a creative expressive jazz feeling. Varied in range with both heartfelt soft beautiful empathy as well as with dramatically powerful meaning in her voice. Many parts with wordsless vocals, an instrument included in the ensemble or in bond or synchronous with any of the instruments. Like we get a taste of as early as in the first track, Torn Between, as well as in the brisk Flow, where they occasionally transform into classical bop/scat singing, or the so heartly melodically beautiful Put the Past Behind. With theatrically dramatic content in the title song Behind the Mask, and Marching For Peace - in rhythmic march straight through the whole song that vocally give associations to the Sami jojk. Delicious indeed." 
– Thord Ehnberg, DIG Jazz (Link to review in Swedish) 

"Behind the Mask is a similar outing as the singer's debut, a collection of original compositions, finely crafted and smartly arranged. Joining the singer is a new band, pianist Daniel Tilling, baritone guitarist (and husband) Efraim Törnfeldt, bassist Svante Söderqvist, and drummer Gustav Nahlin. The band is careful to allow Törnfeldt the full floor while soloing with impeccable style and nuance. The title piece is fashioned as a show tune that allows Törnfeldt to stretch her scat chops. "Look Behind You" is a spooky, mid-tempo ballad, comprised of wordless vocals carrying a light melody doubled by Efraim Törnfeldt's baritone guitar. Behind the Mask displays a singing talent fully formed and positioned for greater things." 
– C. Michael Bailey, All About Jazz 

Rating 4/5 
"Sophisticated vocal jazz with delicate surroundings. The music is mostly cool and soft, the intensity rises a couple of times. The instruments are exquisitely intertwined with Törnfeldt's supple vocal expressions, except for the parts where they tastefully are given room on their own. The term chamber jazz feels unavoidable, although unlike the debut album there is no string quartet. The sound is generally relaxed and contemplative, with two distinct exceptions. The title track is rough and unruly in an arrangement which twists and turns. Filled with vocal acrobatics it oozes with heat and pride. Marching For Peace is also standing out, would like to call the song a young cuckoo that needs to get out of the safe nest.” 
– Mats Hallberg, Kulturbloggen (Link to review in Swedish) 

"It is liberating with a singer who is not ingratiating, who doesn't make an effort to 'sing beautifully' although she has the absolute capacity for it. ... It is not about traditional scat singing, but more about using the voice as an instrument without words, sometimes playful but also sometimes with the same strong expression as in the parts of the songs with lyrics. Also very nice solo contributions by her band members Daniel Tilling on piano, Efraim Törnfeldt on baritone guitar, Svante Söderqvist on double bass and Gustav Nahlin on drums." 
– Eva Nikell, Lira Musikmagasin 

Stockholm Voices 

“At last! A new Swedish jazz vocal group enters the stage at the Umeå Jazz Studio and the void after [Swedish renowned vocal group] Gals and Pals is filled. Stockholm Voices are four tightly knitted voices that without noticable effort manage the art of phrasing and swinging together like proper jazz ensemble. The singers also performs a solo number each, where Alexander Lövmark, Jakob Sollevi and Maria Winther make competent efforts. When it is Gunilla Törnfeldt's turn, it’s one of those moments that you long for during a whole season. In a cutting-edge version of Horace Silvers 'Sister Sadie’, she rushed through the lyrics to then throw herself out handlessly in a scat-singing flight that made the musicians turn on all the cylinders. Törnfeldt's attitude is attack at any costs. The sheet music flutters away and we get a revealing - and fun! - performance in the art of improvisation. Lindquist is boiling lava in his saxophone and Niklas Fernqvist pushes everyone in front of him with an enchanted bass. When the singer begins to swap four-bar breaks with drummer Daniel Fredriksson, she is almost down on the floor in the hunt for a crescendo where the drums are rolling like a desintegrating esker. Wow!" 
– Gunnar Wiklund, Folkbladet 

“With Stockholm Voices jazz bursts into full bloom. They were a complete success at their concert in the Blå salongen with their exquisite vocals and their supreme artistry. This relatively newly started vocal quartet is touring extensively and are captivating the Swedish jazz audience completely. You just have to surrender to these formidable voices and their tight band with four creative and interacting musicians that greatly contribute to the successful result.” 
– Åke Holmqvist, Norra Skåne 

“You didn’t need long to understand that we’ve got something really big in this quartet. And then the fun idea: To perform the music from the marvelous album “Waltz for Debby”, with Monica Zetterlund and Bill Evans Trio from 1964. With fresh and updated arrangements we where brought on a journey through all of the fantastic music from the album. This young and talented quartet are about to captivate the audience in our land completely.” 
– Bo Levander, Jönköpingsposten 

A TIME FOR EVERYTHING

"Gunilla Törnfeldt’s music is rooted in the jazz and the singer/songwriter genre, but is also moving towards other different directions. Törnfeldt dramatizes her lyrics with several pitches of her voice and the arrangements follow in her footsteps. Some things are restful, sometimes almost sacred. Other things are boisterous and drastic. This is music with several different depths and origins."  
– Johannes Cornell, DN  

"A Time For Everything holds a waywardly, but also artisticly reflected mixture of beautifully clear jazz singing and experimental attitudes. This is a profoundly willful, suggestive and fascinating debut."  
– Magnus Eriksson, Rootsy  

"Gunilla Törnfeldt is completely convincing with her debut album. She uses her whole instrument as to bring life to the lyrics, to communicate the musical substance. This is a really good debut with a marvelous gang of great musicians together with her that strongly contribute to the wholeness of the album."  
– Stefan Nilsson, Nerikes Allehanda (Link to review in Swedish)  

"Life stories in the language of jazz when they are at their best. Even if the album contains several deeply serious lyrics and almost programmatic explanations of life, there is no trace of placards policies of either lyrics or music. Gunilla Törnfeldt have simply created great art in both lyrics and music."  
– Eva Nikell, Lira Musikmagasin (Link to review in Swedish)

Stockholm Voices

“At last! A new Swedish jazz vocal group enters the stage at the Umeå Jazz Studio and the void after [Swedish renowned vocal group] Gals and Pals is filled. Stockholm Voices are four tightly knitted voices that without noticable effort manage the art of phrasing and swinging together like proper jazz ensemble. The singers also performs a solo number each, where Alexander Lövmark, Jakob Sollevi and Maria Winther make competent efforts. When it is Gunilla Törnfeldt's turn, it’s one of those moments that you long for during a whole season. In a cutting-edge version of Horace Silvers 'Sister Sadie’, she rushed through the lyrics to then throw herself out handlessly in a scat-singing flight that made the musicians turn on all the cylinders. Törnfeldt's attitude is attack at any costs. The sheet music flutters away and we get a revealing - and fun! - performance in the art of improvisation. Lindquist is boiling lava in his saxophone and Niklas Fernqvist pushes everyone in front of him with an enchanted bass. When the singer begins to swap four-bar breaks with drummer Daniel Fredriksson, she is almost down on the floor in the hunt for a crescendo where the drums are rolling like a desintegrating esker. Wow!"  
– Gunnar Wiklund, Folkbladet  

“With Stockholm Voices jazz bursts into full bloom. They were a complete success at their concert in the Blå salongen with their exquisite vocals and their supreme artistry. This relatively newly started vocal quartet is touring extensively and are captivating the Swedish jazz audience completely. You just have to surrender to these formidable voices and their tight band with four creative and interacting musicians that greatly contribute to the successful result.”  
– Åke Holmqvist, Norra Skåne  

“You didn’t need long to understand that we’ve got something really big in this quartet. And then the fun idea: To perform the music from the marvelous album “Waltz for Debby”, with Monica Zetterlund and Bill Evans Trio from 1964. With fresh and updated arrangements we where brought on a journey through all of the fantastic music from the album. This young and talented quartet are about to captivate the audience in our land completely.”  
– Bo Levander, Jönköpingsposten