In brief
31.05.2023

Tak for den mavepuster!

Selvhenter: »Mesmerizer«
© PR
© PR

Det faktum, at halvdelen af en jazzkvartet består af perkussionister – i dette tilfælde Anja Jacobsen og Jaleh Negari – må unægteligt skabe visse forventninger hos lytteren om det rytmiske spil. Disse forventninger bliver heldigvis indfriet. Jacobsen og Negaris samspil væver sig ind og ud af hinanden på en varieret, højenergisk maner, der altid lyder som om, at det er ved at falde fra hinanden, men aldrig gør det. Disse lyttervenligt polyrytmiske grooves fræses, stikkes i og bankes sammen af Sonja LaBianca på saxofon og Maria Bertel på trækbasun. Tilføj både keyboards og synths, samt effekter og forstærkning på horninstrumenterne, og lydpotentialet er næsten uendeligt. Udgangspunktet er jazz, men de fire musikere har ingen intentioner om at blive inden for jazzens ellers forholdsvis brede rammer.

Variationen er da også et af albummets højdepunkter – fra de dubbede horn i åbningsnummeret »Plex« over den støjende skærebrændersynth i »Connoisseur« til den tonstunge doom metal-stemning i »Rundhyl«. Gode ideer, som charmerer på den forfriskende antiautoritære måde. Intet er helligt. Det skaber overraskende, mindeværdige øjeblikke. Kvartetten taber dog lidt pusten i anden halvdel, hvor der skrues ned for både tempo og frekvensen af føromtalte øjeblikke. 

Selvhenter fungerer bedst, når de skruer op for energien. Til sammenligning føles de mere søgende numre halvfærdige, som om de mangler lige netop det farverige indspark, der gør de højenergiske kompositioner så gode. Måske var tanken at give lytteren plads til at trække vejret efter første halvdels sanseangreb, men jeg ville nu have foretrukket flere mavepustere.

© Hreinn Gudlaugsson

»Music for me is like a sourdough. If you don't feed it right it is going to die. If you feed it correctly a lot of people can benefit from it.« 

Halym Kim is a drummer, composer and project coordinator based in Copenhagen. His music is mainly based in free improvisation and experimental music but performs also as a traditional Korean percussionist. He has a Master and an Advanced Postgraduate Diploma in Music Performance from RMC in Copenhagen. Together with Nana Pi he organizes Impro Camp which is a music camp for free and structured improvised music that is happening every year in Fredericia, Denmark.

© DMF

»Music for me is a tool of infinite expression. It’s where I’ve had the most complex conversations and open-minded experiences. It is the highest form of energy I know.«

Nana Pi is a saxophonist, composer and conductor working within the experimental music scene. She has developed a unique musical vocabulary on the saxophone by incorporating objects and extended techniques, pushing the boundaries of sonic expression. Beyond her work as a saxophonist, she is known for conducting improvisation using her music sign language, Extemporize, for which she received the P8 Jazz Award Årets Ildsjæl in 2020. She is a member of the well established record label Barefoot Records. In addition to her musical career, Nana Pi is organizing events such as Impro Camp and FredagsJAM that focuses on creating networks and inspiring music environments between musicians.

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»For me, music is an emotional refuge. When I sit at the piano I feel safe, it's where I can release everything I carry inside. It's not about performing, it's about being honest, vulnerable and free.«

Samanta Yubero, known artistically as Samyula, is a composer, pianist, and neuroscientist based in Barcelona. Trained as a classical pianist and holding a PhD in her scientific field, Samyula bridges the worlds of art and science in her work. Her music – often within neoclassicism – blends both serene and intense piano melodies with vivid, dynamic string arrangements, creating emotionally resonant and immersive soundscapes. With a deep passion for both composition and performance, Samyula offers audiences a uniquely powerful and moving experience.

© PR

»Music is the ultimate gateway to presence, a true expression of the moment.«

Praised by DownBeat Magazine as one of Europe’s most versatile and inquisitive musicians, Polish-born, Scandinavian-based trumpeter and composer Tomasz Dąbrowski creates music that whispers before it screams – blending open, lyrical melodies with raw, unconventional trumpet sounds. Dąbrowski has revealed an unceasing curiosity, stretching and expanding his jazz roots in an ever-widening circle of exploration. From the beginning he’s rejected hierarchies, preferring to see creative music as a boundless practice that can accommodate ideas drawn from every spot on the stylistic map. While plenty of musicians pivot toward new directions, sometimes transforming their aesthetic wholesale, Dąbrowski has long revealed a more ruminative and holistic mindset that has allowed him to retain a clear artistic identity through countless projects, whether driven by improvisation or composition. 

© Malthe Ivarsson

»Music is where my heart is. The place where I feel the most freedom and possibility to express myself. It's also the place I seek to when I need to calm down.«

Anna Roemer is a Danish guitarist and composer from South Zealand, now based in Copenhagen. She has performed with artists like Hannah Schneider, Jacob Bellens, and Guldimund. Together with saxophonist Cecilie Strange, she forms the acclaimed duo K A L E II D O, known for music that constantly evolves. The duo has received national and international praise and won the Carl Prize for »Jazz Composer of the Year« for their albums Elements and Places (2024).