MARK SOLBORG
Solborg 4+4+1
ILK191CD
Ilk Music 2012
05 Tracks. 55mins06secs

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For his latest album for Ilk Music, Danish jazz guitarist Mark Solborg has gathered a carefully selected horn quartet, formed of Norwegian musicians Gunnar Halle (trumpet) and Torben Snekkestad (tenor and soprano sax, clarinet) and fellow Danish artists Laura Toxværd (alto saxophone) and Jacob Munck (tuba, trombone), to which he has added a soloist, Chris Speed (US) on tenor saxophone and clarinet, all joining forces around  his regular quartet, which counts, beside himself, Anders Banke (tenor saxophone, clarinet and bass clarinet), Jeppe Skovbakke (bass) and Bjørn Heebøll (drums). The ensemble performed together only once, at the 2010 edition of Copenhagen’s Jazzfestival, during which this album was recorded.

With such an extensive set of performers under his headship, each with their own individual approach and characteristics, Solborg had set himself quite a challenge, but the five improvisations here are a testament of the viability of his vision and of the musicianship involved. Continue Reading »

LOVEDALE
Green Sounds
ILK187
Ilk Music 2012
09 Tracks. 48mins10secs

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Spearheaded by Danish reeds player Jesper Løvdal, with pianist Jacob Anderskov, who plays both acoustic piano and Würlitzer electric piano, drummer Anders Mogensens and German trombone player Nils Wogram, who, having performed as an additional member with the band for over two years, recently took his place as a full member in replacement of bass player Jonas Westergaard. Formed in the early 2000s, Lovedale released their first self-titled on Ilk Music in 2004. Their second, Grill Music, published two years later, earned them Jazz Release of the Year at the 2007 Danish Music Awards, and was followed by a third album, Coziness Kills in 2009.

In the past, Lovedale have regularly alternated between composed and improvised pieces, but with Green Sounds, they opt for an entirely improvised approach. In practice, it means that their sound has become much freer and more fluid. Continue Reading »

THE LIVING ROOM
Still Distant Still
ILK182
Ilk Music 2011
08 Tracks. 45mins31secs

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The meeting of three extremely talented and respected musicians in their own right, The Living Room is a breathtaking formation with a particularly developed taste for complex avant-gardist jazz. Formed of Danish saxophonist Torben Snekkestad, pianist Søren Kjærgaard, also from Denmark, and Norwegian drummer and percussionist Thomas Strønen, The Living Room have, for their debut, devised a series of intricate minimal improvised pieces where they explore the outer reaches of contemporary jazz.

Still Distant Still is not an easy record to ease oneself into. Right from the opening moments of Tremolo Hiving, the tone is set: sparse percussions over which a sax flutters hesitantly, never gathering any more than a few notes at any one time. Continue Reading »

HOPSCOTCH
Hopscotch
ILK179
Ilk Music 2011
10 Tracks. 44mins13secs

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Hopscotch is the meeting of three jazz musicians with very different backgrounds, united by the fact that they all currently reside in Copenhagen, Denmark. Italian saxophonist Francesco Bigoni, Argentinian/Danish guitarist Mark Solborg and Canadian drummer Kevin Brow have between them released a considerable amount of music via their many respective projects, but this first common project sees them lay the foundation of a new partnership and explore the ground that connects them. The album was recorded in live conditions with all three musicians performing together in one room toward the end of last year, and is now being released on Danish jazz imprint Ilk Music. Continue Reading »