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Benjamin Koppel

Benjamin Koppel, Danish saxophonist and composer, is one of the most award-winning musicians of his generation, known for his versatility and virtuosity.

Koppel’s musical background is deeply rooted in his family and can be as well compared to the musical heritage from the famous Jacksons 5 or even the world known Bach family from Germany. He is the grandson of famous Danish classic composer Herman D. Koppel, and the son of musician and composer Anders Koppel, who had a great success worldwide with the band Savage Rose and is well known for being the greatest Danish beat musician of his generation. The music genre of the family spreads out from classical to jazz and pop genre and Benjamin Koppel masters all the genres with the outmost perfection.

He formed his first band, when he was 15 years old, and has appeared on more than 50 recordings. The variety of his musical collaborations is wide, and has established him as a sought after musician internationally. As a soloist and bandleader, he has performed/recorded with Phil Woods, Kenny Werner, Jim Hall, Joe Lovano, Scott Colley, Daniel Humair, Palle Danielsson, Alex Riel, Miroslav Vitous, Anders Koppel, Inger Dam Jensen, Michala Petri, Adam Nussbaum, Randy Brecker, Chano Dominguez, Charlie Mariano, Portinho, David Sanchez, Sheryl Crow, and others.

In 2000 Benjamin Koppel formed his own independent record label, Cowbell Music that releases high quality jazz music as well as classical, cross over and pop music. Today the business has developed into a music and event bureau producing concert and unique musical experiences in cooperation with different Danish and international enterprises and cultural institutions.

Twice a year, Cowbell arranges two independent jazz festivals – Summer Jazz and Winter Jazz – with a significant trademark of mixing genres and generations on stage. The aim is to communicate jazz in a modern and understandable way – always with some of the most well-renowned jazz musicians in the world.

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Album Review

Benjamin Koppel: Story of Mankind - A Requiem

Read "Story of Mankind - A Requiem" reviewed by Alberto Bazzurro


Il cinquantenne altosassofonista e compositore danese Benjamin Koppel riunisce in questo ambizioso doppio album un altrettanto ambizioso settetto per dar vita a un'opera di grande respiro in cui colpisce anzitutto la ferrea ripartizione fra brani ampi (i dispari) e brevissimi (i pari), che fungono in qualche modo da ricapitolazione, per voce (detta) e piccoli inserti strumentali. Il tutto dota il lavoro di un respiro--un tono, un andamento, un ordine--particolare, all'interno di una struttura assai ferrea che abbina una ...

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Radio & Podcasts

Phil Woods, Pat Metheny & Benjamin Koppel

Read "Phil Woods, Pat Metheny & Benjamin Koppel" reviewed by Joe Dimino


From a celebrated veteran musician and author from Denmark, we begin the 861st Episode of Neon Jazz with Benjamin Koppel and music from his 2023 album White Busses. From here, we get into a legend Benjamin spent quality time with in Phil Woods. As the hour ensues, we hear great new music from Ray Brown, Jo Harrop, Jon De Lucia and Anthony Branker. In between, we hear from new players including Alexa Torres and Emiliano Lasansky. Finally, we bring it ...

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Album Review

Koppel, Blade, Koppel: Time Again

Read "Time Again" reviewed by Glenn Astarita


This multi-generational trio featuring the Danish father/son team of Benjamin Koppel (alto sax) and Anders Koppel (organ), alongside ace drummer Brian Blade, is a decidedly forward-looking affair. But it also pays homage to classic jazz's boundless joy and irreverent spirit with a sly wink and more than a few joyous surprises. Blade's often explosive, polyrhythmic cyclone meshes seamlessly with Anders' bubbling organ articulations. Benjamin's alto sax work deftly rides the grooves while jabbing in unexpected angular asides, creating ...

Album Review

Benjamin Koppel: White Buses: Passage To Freedom

Read "White Buses: Passage To Freedom" reviewed by Angelo Leonardi


Il sassofonista e compositore Benjamin Koppel è uno dei massimi jazzmen danesi: in trent'anni di carriera ha inciso più di sessanta dischi con i massimi nomi del jazz contemporaneo e il suo nome spicca per il trio con Scott Colley e Brian Blade e per il quartetto con Colley, Kenny Werner e Jack DeJohnette (The Art of the Quartet, Cowbell 2020). Questo progetto è stato registrato a New York coinvolgendo altri statunitensi (Uri Caine, Antonio Sánchez, Thana ...

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Album Review

Benjamin Koppel: White Buses: Passage To Freedom

Read "White Buses: Passage To Freedom" reviewed by Doug Collette


If saxophonist/composer/bandleader Benjamin Koppel has proven anything over the last few years, it is that he has no trouble finding sources of inspiration for his work. Whether it is just for the sake of blowing with a redoubtable rhythm section in the form of bassist Scott Colley and drummer Brian Blade on Perspective (Cowbell Music, 2023) or illustrating his own range of style with The Ultimate Soul & Jazz Revue (Cowbell Music, 2020) and The Art of The ...

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Radio & Podcasts

Benjamin Koppel & A Clean Feed Buffet

Read "Benjamin Koppel & A Clean Feed Buffet" reviewed by Maurice Hogue


This episode focuses on several excellent new releases from Clean Feed Records (Mia Dyberg, Ned Rothenberg, Nataniel Edelman, Mikko Innanen, Grzegorz Tarwid, Simon Nabatov, Phillip Greenlief & Mercury) and presents several pieces from Danish saxophonist Benjamin Koppel's White Buses Passage To Freedom. Koppel's important and stunning album is his interpretation of a World War II event in Denmark involving concentration camp prisoners who were rescued by the White Buses of the Swedish Red Cross. Koppel composed his music around survivor ...

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Radio & Podcasts

Benjamin Koppel Plays Jazz with a Novelist's Narrative

Read "Benjamin Koppel Plays Jazz with a Novelist's Narrative" reviewed by Lawrence Peryer


Saxophonist Benjamin Koppel talks about Perspective (Cowbell Music), his latest album with KCB Collective (which includes Scott Colley and Brian Blade), and how his collaborators in jazz are part of an extended family. ...

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Festival

Valby Summer Jazz Festival Reinvents Jazz In Copenhagen This July

Valby Summer Jazz Festival Reinvents Jazz In Copenhagen This July

Source: Benjamin Koppel

In 2012, many stars such as Randy Brecker, Jim Hall and Lee Konitz gave lustre to Valby Summer Jazz. This year the festival once again strives to reinvent and introduce jazz music to new audiences in meetings between great jazz masters and some of the best classical acts, DJ’s, pop vocalists and crooners. Benjamin Koppel presents his independent sub-festival to the mother festival, Copenhagen Jazz Festival from July 5‐14. In 2012 the leading online jazz magazine All About Jazz praised ...

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Music

Recordings: As Leader | As Sideperson

Time Again

Cowbell Music
2024

buy

Mulberry Street...

Cowbell Music
2022

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What is Poetry?

From: The Poetic Principle
By Benjamin Koppel

Pasadena Pancakes

From: Hammond Street
By Benjamin Koppel

Farewell My Heart, My House

From: Blues and Ballads
By Benjamin Koppel

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