Åsa Orbison’s Take on ‘Lullaby of Birdland’ Created an Elysian Euro Jazz Paradise

Jazz royalty reigned across the airwaves once again as Åsa Orbison sang the ‘Lullaby of Birdland’. Produced by Roy Orbison Jr., her husband and the son of the legendary Roy Orbison, and orchestrated in collaboration with Ulf Wakenius, the reimagined jazz composition was reincarnated with a naturalistically light sense of delicacy and a kaleidoscope of contemporary elysian colour. Far dreamier than Ella Fitzgerald’s iteration, Åsa Orbison ensured her reverie-rich harmonic timbre gave the score, which has been inspiring the jazz scene since the 50s, a euphonic sense of grace, vivacious sublimity, romantic Euro jazz passion, and instrumental phrasing which almost feels fantastical in the serenity of its ease and diaphanous intricacy. There is an unforced elegance to the way Åsa Orbison moves through the standard, letting the melody float with intimate poise while Ulf Wakenius threads luminous guitar phrasing through the arrangement with painterly finesse. The classic shimmers with a timeless glow under the branding of a distinctly personal stamp, shaped by a Swedish-American vocalist whose artistry bridges European jazz heritage and the American songbook. Working closely with Roy Orbison Jr, she brought a sense of care and refinement that honours the standard while letting it breathe with fresh colour […]

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