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Morten Schantz: Unicorn
by Ian Patterson
Danish pianist/composer Morten Schantz is probably best known as one fifth of JazzKamikaze, the globe-trotting band he formed in 2005 with Marius Neset, Kristor Brødsgaard, Daniel Heløy Davidsen and Anton Eger. That may be about to change, as the solo album Unicorn marks a significant wind change in Schantz's trajectory. Inspired writing and scintillating collective playing are the cornerstones, with Schantz' quartet augmented by Morroccon traditional musicians and choir. It's an intoxicating concoction that marks a high point in the ...
read moreElektrojazz: Cars
by Jakob Baekgaard
It was Paddy McAloon from the British pop band Prefab Sprout who famously made fun of the fascination with cars and girls on the hit “Cars and Girls," but, indeed, there is a grain of truth behind the joke. Many pop songs are in fact love songs about girls, but what about the cars? A singer-songwriter like Bruce Springsteen has eulogized life on the road in many of his songs, but it is a rare experience to hear a tribute ...
read moreBlood, Sweat, Drum + Bass: Asa Nisi Masa
by Ian Patterson
Big bands don't come much bigger than Denmark's Blood, Sweat, Drum 'n Bass: 27 musicians, including a fourteeen-piece horn section, a nine-piece rhythm section, electric guitars, two vocalists and electronics. BSDnB purveys a brand of music which shares the iconoclastic approach and raw energy of Spanish saxophonist Llibert Fortuny's Electric Big Band, Belgian big band Flat Earth Society and the modernistic bent of Norwegian band Jaga Jazzist. The influence of the latter is felt on Asi Nisi Asa, through the ...
read moreSidsel Storm: Swedish Lullaby
by Jakob Baekgaard
Sidsel Storm belongs to the cream of the crop of new Danish female jazz singers, including names such as Sinne Eeg and Malene Mortensen. Since releasing her self- titled debut in 2008, Storm has made herself a solid name on the Danish jazz scene and Swedish Lullaby, her second effort, suggests she's ready for worldwide attention. Swedish Lullaby shows a singer who has matured surprisingly fast. Storm's voice shines with a wide palette that leaves room for ...
read moreBevort - Schmidt: Playground + 1
by Ian Patterson
Playground + 1 is an apt name for this impressive release by this Danish quartet led by saxophonist/vocalist Pernille Bevort and pianist Marie Louis Schmidt, as in many ways a playground bears analogy to a jazz group. In both, freedom exists within boundaries and individual expression thrives within a group identity. There is a collective dependency and there are elements of idiosyncratic behaviour, moments of calm reflection, and, in the midst of the general harmony, there are occasional clashes. In ...
read moreMartin Lutz Group: Where Are the Trumpets?
by John Barron
On Where Are the Trumpets?, Danish pianist/composer Martin Lutz leads his energetic sextet through an invigorating set of contemporary jazz laced with the sounds of Americana. The disc's ten tracks, all composed by Lutz, are cleverly arranged for the woodwind front-line of Jacob Rose, Jakob Skov and Mads Ole. Bassist Lars Johnsen, drummer Ricco Kjaer and special guest Paolo Russo on bandoneón add to the disc's rich textural blanket of sound. Although there is plenty of improvised blowing from each ...
read moreEmil de Waal: Live +
by Budd Kopman
Multi-instrumentalist Emil de Waal's Live + represents both the mirror image and logical continuation of his previous release, Emil de Waal + (RMK Records, 2005). The earlier record used the computer as a member of the band in a studio setting. This offering takes the concept further by recording his jazz electronic live shows in Denmark, removing audience response, and then post-processing it in New York and Copenhagen studios. In this respect, de Waal is following the ...
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