Spring 2012 - Art Ensemble Syd, The Gyroscope String Trio, Michael Gregory and Chris Stover

In the month to come I am facing on one side, an almost amount of work but on the other and most important side, a program packed with possible musical experience for you and me and my fellow musicians.

First of all 2012 started with the great news that Sonderborg city had decided to ask my band Art Ensemble Syd to become the city's professional jazz ensemble. That means a lot of opportunities to do concerts both in town, but also representing the city around the world. We will do concerts, workshops, invite guests and order compositions from our favourite composers. It is a dream come true.

Next thing is that I am invited to Sarajevo Winter Festival to perform with The Gyroscope String Trio. (See earlier post for more info on the group.) Our CD "Precessions" has been generously reviewed in France, UK, USA, Sweden and Denmark and it is going to be absolutely awesome to come to Sarajevo. The Festival has invited me as a residency of Sonderborg because of the European Cultural Capital candidature and I have chosen to bring my to stringplayers Norwegian violist Bergmund Skaslien and French cellist Alain Grange plus our regular brothers in arms saxophonist Simon Spang-Hanssen and drummer Haakon Berre. We are invited to come down four days before the concert and that leaves us a rare opportunity, for this international ensemble, to work concentrated with the music for four days before the concert. Thanks to Ibrahim Spahic and his staff at the festival office for this rare opportunity.
When I return to Denmark my old friend über talented guitarist, singer, composer, poet Michael Gregory will wait for me in Copenhagen. (read about this coorporation in an earlier post on this site) We have a concert on February 17th during the Winter Jazz 2012 festival in the Charlottenborg Museum. See www.jazz.dk for more details.

Later this year singer/songwriter Tue West and I launch our new project Tue West with Art Ensemble Syd. I am already working on the compositions and arrangements for this project. I am basing my compositions on Tues songs and it is going to be very cool to hear this very talented and open minded artist with all the horns and the improv that I am going to drop on him :-)

In May I am going to New York to work with my new friend trombonist and composer Chris Stover together with Michael Gregory. It is souch a thrill to put these to guys together and I am sure it is going to VERY interesting to experience the results. More info on that soooon.

Gyroscope String Trio "Precessions"

To start a new band is always a thrill. When I sat in my studio in spring 2009 writing for my new string based group I knew that it was going to be an awesome experience. Not only was the instrumentation with three string players drums and one single horn going to open up for some new sounds only rarely heard before. Also I had to call in some very special musicians to fulfil this ambition.

Creating the music was not so hard. My experience writing for string players goes way back and I have stumbled over most of the mistakes you can make with these instruments. But I was not sure about how a group like this would satisfy the expectations one has for a "jazz" sound. Would it be powerful enough, would the harmonies get across and would would the rhythmic articulation be to week to make it swing probably.

Finally we met for the first rehearsal. Cellist Alain Grange had come in from France and violast Bergmund W. Skaslien from Norway. Not surprisingly evryones schedule had only allowed us two rehearsals before the gig and as usual I was terrified about how bad the music sounded the first evening.

But, as it has happened many times before, everything was in the pocket for the first gig and after four concerts we where ready to go to the studio and record.

The recording session was a ball. The sound at Thomas Vangs On Location Studio was great and the music was really happening. After some five hours we had a lot of music to choose from.

And now it is here. The Gyroscope String Trio "Precessions" 11 tracks of my compositions and improvisations by the string trio. Next week it will be available on my website. Until then drop me a note and I will send you one.

Cheers, Niels