For the second in its Signature Edition compilations, dedicated to—and selected by—its vanguard artists, ACT profiles a guitarist who only became an exclusive artist in 2005, with the release of his homage to pianist Keith Jarrett—Notes From the Heart—but whose career truly demands retrospection and reevaluation. Unlike Signature Edition 1's fusion guitarist Nguyên Lê, who has released nearly a dozen labels for Siggi Loch's German label, Swedish six-stringer Ulf Wakenius has, in addition to a handful of ACT guest appearances, only delivered one other album as a leader for the label, 2008's Love is Real—a dedication to pianist Esbjörn Svensson that's as heartfelt as the guitarist's intimate Jarrett tribute.

Both of Wakenius' ACT discs are well represented on Signature Edition 2, in particular the Svensson tribute, which accounts for four of two dozen career-spanning tracks that date back to his 1992 independent debut as a leader, Venture. Culled from that first date, a tender reading of the classic ballad "Estate" demonstrates the guitarist's early Brazilian proclivities, while his funkier, get down with his bad self side shines through on the buoyant, electrified "I Get It 4 U," both of which feature (amongst others) drummer Jack DeJohnette and bassist/keyboardist/cellist Lars Danielsson, the latter a constant companion who appears on a full nineteen tracks.

Though none of the work is represented here, Wakenius gained, perhaps, his greatest international acclaim with Oscar Peterson in the pianist's late period trio with Swedish bass legend Niels-Henning Ørsted Pedersen. Listening to Wakenius' painfully beautiful rendition of "Blame It On My Youth," from First Step (IMOGENA, 1993)—his soft nylon string guitar and Lars Jansson's synthesized strings recalling Pat Metheny's often-covered "Farmer's Trust"—and two tracks culled from his independent 1995 Guitars Unlimited duo with Peter Almqvist, Extraordinaire—where both guitarists consistently navigate the songs' changes with fiery aplomb—it's little surprise that Wakenius caught Peterson's attention.

As virtuosic as Wakenius can be—and his remarkable abilities are in sharp focus on his duet reading of Egberto Gismonti's enduring "Frevo," with Korean expat vocalist Youn Sun Nah (taken from her 2009 ACT release, Voyage)—it's his profound lyricism that's at the center of much of Signature Edition . Three tracks from Forever You (Stunt, 2004) focus on the guitarist's profound ability to reach the core of the material he plays. Wakenius isn't a prolific writer—only four tracks are original compositions—but he's an astute interpreter, culling material from the Great American Songbook, Danielsson, Brazil—and, of course, Svensson and Jarrett.

It's Jarrett who both opens and closes the set, with Wakenius appropriately dancing on the pianist's set opener of the same name, and—on his own, overdubbing two nylon string guitars—delivering a soft and elegant closer with one of the pianist's most tender compositions, the title track to My Song (ECM, 1978). With Signature Edition 2, Wakenius is positioned as one of contemporary jazz's most imaginative interpreters, an artist who deserves to be on the radar of those who appreciate mainstream guitar with a contemporary edge and unfailingly lyrical bent.