Alexander Zethson, Johan Jutterström

A joint release from US label Astral Spirits (Austin, Texas) and Thanatosis Produktion (Stockholm), It could / If I is the first album from Stockholm-based, longstanding duo Johan Jutterström (saxophone) and Alex Zethson (piano). In addition to the duo’s own reimaginations of a few so-called jazz standards, it contains songs by artists such as Leonard Cohen, Pet Shop Boys, John Lurie, and German 19th century composer Alexander Fesca.

"On this record what tunes are played somehow matters less than how they are played. The next to arbitrary choice of playing songs with titles that start with either It could or If I is given meaning only after that choice is made, when there's something to play, during the rearranging of them, and more importantly – during the playing of them. Everything from standards heavily rearranged into disparate etudes to original compositions. In a sense approaching them somewhat like palimpsests; scrubbing away at the songs in order to add new meaning to them while hoping that what was will still be possible to make out. Then, perhaps, it can start to make sense.

Love, want and anxiety – trying to stick jazz music, constantly approaching it, constantly getting closer but never meeting it at any infinite distance: 'It could have been very very beautiful, if I only ...'"