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Teis Semey

Born in Aalborg, Denmark, in 1993, Teis Semey is far from your typical jazz guitarist. Semey, the "bad boy of Dutch Jazz", celebrated for his "punk-infused avant-garde indie-jazz" is an honest, collectivist virtuoso with something to say and the tools to do so.

Semey's artistry pulls from all directions: the raw energy of punk, the contemplative beauty of Scandinavian church music, and the boundless improvisation of jazz.

Semey's approach to music is a mix of punk's raw energy, the reflective qualities of Scandinavian church music, and the improvisational spirit of jazz. He draws inspiration from a wide range of artists, including classical composers like Shostakovich, Stravinsky, and Ravel, jazz greats such as Wayne Shorter and John Coltrane, and rock bands like Arctic Monkeys, Nirvana, and Audioslave. His playing has been noted for its intensity, lyrical depth, and a "charmingly nonchalant" attitude.

Critics have lauded his playing for its electrifying intensity, profound lyrical depth, and a "charmingly nonchalant" swagger that sets him apart.

A prolific bandleader, Semey has release several albums, including "Where The Fence is the Highest" (2019), "Throw Stones" (2020), "Mean Mean Machine" (2021), "Midnight Mess Vol. 1" (2023), "Crudo" (2023) and the latest "En Masse!" (2024).

Semey's work has been recognized with awards, including first prize in the Princess Cristina Jazz Concours and the Best Coltrane Arrangement Prize in the Keep An Eye Jazz Awards 2017.

He's performed at notable venues such as the Blue Whale in Los Angeles and the Bimhuis in the Netherlands as well as North Sea Jazz Festival and the JazzAhead Showcase. In 2022, he was named Artist in Focus at North Sea Round Town, solidifying his reputation as one of Europe's most exciting and unpredictable voices in contemporary jazz.

Awards

1st prize & Press prize, Princess Cristina Jazz Concours 2014 2nd prize & Press prize, Leiden Jazz Awards 2015 Semi-finalist & Best Coltrane Arrangement, Keep an Eye Jazz Awards 2017

Jazzfestival Saalfelden 2025

by Vincenzo Roggero
August 29, 2025

Jazzfestival Saalfelden 2025 Varie location 21--24 agosto 2025 Centonovanta artisti, provenienti da ventisei paesi, quasi trentamila presenze, otto location differenti, più di sessanta concerti, record di biglietti venduti. Sono solo numeri ma testimoniano come il Saalfelden Jazz Festival--giunto alla quarantacinquesima edizione--sia una rassegna che richiama spettatori da tutta Europa, sia profondamente radicata sul territorio, e catalizzi risorse ed energie con la partecipazione attiva di tutta la comunità. La programmazione artistica della rassegna è ...

Album Review

Teus Nobel & Liberty Group: Human First

Read "Human First" reviewed by Phillip Woolever

by Phillip Woolever
April 16, 2023

Highly respected Dutch trumpeter Teus Nobel has forged a distinguished, modern jazz-based discography which includes expertise ranging from small bands to orchestras, and mainstream pop to theatrical show tunes. The third project released by Nobel's Liberty Group progresses along traditional quartet-type experimentation which proves to be some of his most extraordinary work yet; it sounds like a thematic sky with no limit in imagination or proficiency. The album's tour de force is the twenty-seven minute “Human First," which ...

Hi-Res Jazz

New Music in an Anxious Time: Teis Semey, Peggy Lee and Philipp Gropper

by Mark Werlin
June 4, 2019

Historians of jazz identify the African-American civil rights struggle circa 1945-1965 as the locus for the most active involvement of jazz music in expressions of social and political protest. One of the earliest recorded instances of explicit political protest in jazz, “Strange Fruit," was refused by Decca, singer Billie Holiday's record label, for fear of reprisals from Southern radio stations and record stores. The independent Commodore label released the record in 1939; a searing indictment of lynching and a landmark ...

"An ambitious work that crosses musical and cultural boundaries, Where the Fence is Highest heralds the arrival of a gifted composer-guitarist.” - Mark Werlin, AllAboutJazz "An absolutely daring and striking debut of a modest but thorough guitarist.” - Erno Elsinga, Jazzenzo "With "Where The Fence Is The Highest" the Danish guitarist Teis Semey delivers a grandly conceived work full of parameters derived from jazz, classical and contemporary avant-garde.", "...Surfing suggestive enthusiasm in the gray zones between Duke Ellington and Steve Reich.", "...To be clear, this is not a curiosity cabinet or attempted "third stream" but a personal interpretation of the possibilities between playing a (very limited) score and the improvising additions