news
22.06

Free Improvisation Moves in Among Dim Sum and Hot Pots

© Guannan Kang
© Guannan Kang

自由即兴创作比性爱更好! – »Free improvisation is better than sex.« According to drummer Kresten Osgood, the saying is attributed to Confucius. Whether the ancient Chinese philosopher ever uttered those words is doubtful. But the quote perfectly captures the spirit of one of the most unusual events at this year's Copenhagen Jazz Festival.

From 7–11 July, pianist Søren Kjærgaard and drummer Kresten Osgood will take over CC Taste on Amagerbrogade, performing daily from 2–4 pm among diners, dim sum and steaming hot pots.

For years, the two musicians have dreamed of taking free improvisation out of its familiar concert settings and into a place where audiences would least expect to encounter it. The idea emerged when they discovered an old upright piano in the restaurant, which has long served as one of their regular meeting places. Stephanie, the owner of CC Taste, immediately embraced the project.

Kjærgaard and Osgood are cousins who grew up together on Denmark's west coast and have been making music together since childhood. For more than 35 years, their duo has remained a constant thread running through collaborations with artists including Herb Robertson, Tim Berne, Thomas Morgan, Bent Jædig and the musician collective ILK. In recent years, they have toured as a duo in Estonia, Latvia, Finland and Norway.

»We've wanted for a long time to bring our music into places that aren't naturally predisposed to it, and to explore how the music affects an environment where people come to enjoy dim sum and have a lovely lunch,« says Kresten Osgood. »The owner of CC Taste loved the idea, and I think everyone involved is a little excited to see what happens.«

For Søren Kjærgaard, the residency format is equally significant:

»We're really looking forward to playing together in the same place for five consecutive days. That's quite rare in the world of free improvisation, where most performances are one-off concerts or ad hoc constellations. We share an enormous amount of experience and have a very deep musical relationship – yet there's always something at stake whenever we improvise together. We know each other inside out, while constantly seeking the unpredictability that comes from that familiarity.«

The restaurant will remain open throughout the performances, allowing audiences to enjoy lunch while listening to the music. The concerts take place daily from 2–4 pm, and all five performances will be recorded.

playlist
28.09

Mit navn er David Dyrholm – vil du se min playliste?

© Mads Nissen
»Music is what gets my gears turning. It sets both my body and mind in motion – and on a good day, even gets them up to speed. My listening habits are entirely shaped by my mood... and by the musical tastes of my two children, which shift every eight minutes... so the home stereo gets exposed to a bit of everything. In a way, that’s exactly how it should be. Room for everything and everyone.«
 
David Dyrholm (b. 1990) is a food and music critic for Politiken, focusing on jazz – ranging from the traditional to the modern—and avant-garde music. Alongside this, he has worked for the Modern Jazz Days festival, served on the jury for the DMA Jazz awards, and previously released a number of records with the hip-hop collective DoktorDoktor.
in briefrelease
25.09

An Organ in the Dark Forest of Doubt

Calum Builder: »Although Changed, I Arise the Same«
Thanatosis, 25.09
© PR
© PR
© Kristoffer Møllegaard Kristoffer Møllegaard

Last year, Builder released Poor_in_Spirit, an album in which he explored, on his own, the sonic possibilities of his self-built organ. It was an album shaped by this exploration, but ultimately also by the limitations of the organ itself. On Although Changed, I Arise the Same, the composer finds a way beyond them.

The organ is now joined by three additions: Builder’s own alto saxophone, along with the voices of Zola Mennenöh and Johanna Sulkunen. It makes all the difference, providing the diversity of instrumentation that Builder has repeatedly demonstrated his ability to compose for. At times, the organ’s bass sinks beneath the voices and saxophone like a light haze; at others, it envelops them in a heavy fog. It howls like wind in the trees and roars like a train in the night. Mennenöh and Sulkunen sing, chant and breathe simple, repetitive phrases about spiritual uncertainty and searching, as though lost in the dark forest of doubt.

It is a Spartan form of storytelling, giving the listener enough lyricism and atmosphere to set the mind in motion, but never so much that it becomes overwhelming. This is where Builder’s strength lies: his music clearly grows out of his life and experiences, yet he composes in such a way that the listener is invited to enter the story with their own imagination.

Builder determines the colours, but leaves part of the picture to the listener. It is an album that is far more restrained in its dramaturgy than previous releases. No less beautiful or inspiring for it.

English translation: Andreo Michaelo Mielczarek

Calum Builder
7
playlist
25.09

We are Echo, Bravo – would you like to see our playlist?

© PR

»For us, music is a transcendent force with transformative potential – something we get to experience and shape when we create sound together. It is an opportunity to describe one’s innermost universes without words, and the best way for an introvert to express intense emotions at full volume.« 

With roots in Copenhagen’s experimental jazz and punk scene, Echo, Bravo challenges the notion of what a rock band can sound like. The quintet blends post-punk, free punk, and noise rock into a raw and unpredictable soundscape. They describe the music themselves as a kind of »empty-the-fridge soup,« where various leftovers come together. »Best enjoyed as a hot meal in a cold industry.«

 
 
news
25.09

Thorbjørn Tønder Hansen (1971-2026)

© Ultima
© Ultima

Thorbjørn Tønder Hansen has died. With Thorbjørn’s passing, the art music community has lost one of the Nordic region’s most significant producers, curators and cultural leaders.

playlist
21.09

My name is Luca Quintavalle – would you like to see my playlist?

© PR

»Music is the best way to discover myself and understand the world around me.«

Luca Quintavalle is a harpsichordist, fortepianist and conductor. He has performed with ensembles including Concerto Köln, Harmonie Universelle, the Mozarteum Orchestra Salzburg and the Kölner Kammerorchester at venues and festivals such as the Kölner Philharmonie, Salzburg Festival and Enescu Festival. He was harpsichordist of Les Musiciens du Prince, led by Cecilia Bartoli, for over five years, and has conducted ensembles including the Orchestra and Chorus of Teatro dell’Opera di Roma, Concerto Köln and Deutsche Kammerakademie Neuss. His recordings include Mirrors, released by Berlin Classics and awarded an OPUS KLASSIK.