Anders Jormin is a Swedish jazz/improv double bass player with a world reputation. For this production, Anders has composed a number of pieces for choir and double bass. The choir on this recording is the professional ensemble Camerata Silesia from Katowice, Poland, conducted by Anna Szostak. Anders Jormin was born in 1957 in Jonkoping, Sweden. After intense studies, he left Musikhogskolan in Goteborg with diplomas in double bass and improvisation/ pedagogy in 1979. Today as a double-bass player and composer, AJ is a frequent and highly respected performer on the international concert scene. As a musician in great demand, AJ has recorded and toured with many of the legends in jazz. For many years, AJ was also a front figure in one of Scandinavia's foremost ensembles, "Entra." AJ today performs regularly all over Europe, North America, and Japan, and has for shorter periods performed and studied ethnic music in Cuba and Mozambique.

Classical Music

Classical Music

The Sofia Vocal Ensemble invites you to step into paradise, courtesy of ten of the most beautiful choral works written by composers of our time. For nearly 25 years, Bengt Oll�n has fashioned his chamber choir Sofia Vocal Ensemble into one of the finest and most distinctive ensembles of it's kind in Sweden and the world. Here, the choir presents a selection of it's favourite works of the last half century - music that has inspired and shaped it's sound. We hear works by Swedish, Estonian, Russian, Scottish and Welsh composers, separated by contrasting traditions but united by striking beauty. These masterpieces include Alfred Schnittke's hopeful Three Sacred Hymns, James MacMillan's keening Miserere, Arvo P�rt's meditative Nunc Dimittis, Karin Rehnqvist's shimmering Jag lyfter mina hander, Paul Mealor's consoling Beatitudes and Sven David Sandstr�m's radiant In Paradisum. The works are more than personal favourites. They are each, in different ways, highly suited to Sofia Vocal Ensemble's warm, lyrical sound (and in some instances tailored to it) - a meeting of Swedish choral discipline with Oll�n's longstanding work to widen the group's dynamic and expressive range. The sound is embracing and alluring, rooted in finesse of blend and perfection of diction.

Footprint Records proudly presents a new album with Göteborgs Ungdomskör: The Fragrance of Songs. The album contains 21 songs devoted to Spring, Summer and Love. Here are most traditional “Spring Songs” from Sweden and the UK along with Stenhammar’s I seraillets have, Henry Purcell’s In These Delightful Pleasant Groves and the traditional American song Shenandoah. The choir sings a unique choral version of Finneas Baird O’Connell’s Ocean Eyes and the newly composed Änglasång (Angels’ Choir) by Stefan Andersson. Göteborgs Ungdomskör is definitely one of Sweden’s most prominent Youth Choirs. The choir is conducted by its founder, Anne Johansson, a highly distinguished and multiple times honoured teacher for children in music and singing.

Footprint Records is proud to present a new release by the compelling Swedish vocal quartet Tetra. Once again, Tetra takes us around the world- this time, in search of lullabies. As always, they treat us to a cultural feast, deliciously prepared and spiced with their tasteful arrangements for vocals and percussion. They also have some extra star power, with appearances by Jonas Simonson, flutes; Ahmad al-Khatib, oud; and Senegal’s spellbinding Adama Cissokho. Four distinctive vocalists come together in Tetra, all sharing a world music background: Ingrid Brannstrom represents the Nordic folk tradition, while Sanna Kallman sweeps us off to the Caribbean. Anna Ottertun leads the way to the Arabic culture sphere, and Maria Stellas has Greek ornamentation in her blood. This is Tetra’s third release on the Footprint label, following “Hiyya” and “Viv tolerans.”

On the new release Winter Sounds, the Academy Chamber Choir of Uppsala, conducted by Stefan Parkman, performs music that in various ways is inspired by the winter period. The repertoire reflects all the different aspects of the winter, such as Christmas, New Year, the snow and our emotions for the dark period and the Nordic winter light. The recording contains a mix of sacred music in traditional hymns, newly written arrangements of well-known melodies as well as profane songs about winter. Here are compositions by Max Reger, Claude Debussy, Eric Whitacre and Francis Poulenc together with music by Duke Ellington and Benny Andersson.

Footprint Records is proud to present Thomas Markusson Open, a jazz project emanating from sketches by Markusson and developed in a free form by him and his three brilliant musicians, served up in a live context on this exciting new release. Thomas Markusson (double bass) is a respected member of the jazz community who regularly graces stages throughout Europe and in Japan. He has toured with Lee Konitz, Chris Cheek, Daniel Fredar Trio, and many others. Thomas Markusson Open is, however, the first album with this stellar constellation. The amazing Naoko Sakata brings her piano with great sensitivity and energy. This young musician has already made a substantial impression on the jazz world with her personal style. The same is true for drummer Cornelia Nilsson, representing a new generation of talented jazz musicians, highly appreciated by the Swedish press. A legend on the European jazz scene, Staffan Svensson doesn't really need a presentation, not after all those collaborations with groups such as Entra, Surge, and Oslo 13 along with 60 albums- what more can we say? This album was recorded in the church Hagakyrkan in Gothenburg by the legendary sound engineer Ake Linton and mixed by Per Sjosten.

Perfectly Still may be the first album released by the trio Riedel/Svensson/Skokic, but the members are hardly newcomers to the music business: Sarah Riedel (vocals), Carl Svensson (guitar), Viktor Skokic (double bass) have all figured in a wide variety of contexts, and they've been a trio since 2009. Perfectly Still is a musical tour of their acoustic universe, and all nine tracks were either composed or picked up by members of the trio. This release also features guest performers Thomas Backman on alto sax and clarinets, and Martin on percussion.

La Cappella is an elite women's choir hailing from Uppsala, Sweden. Founded in 1986, the ensemble has since focused on broadening it's repertoire and palette. As at home with folk arrangements of Swedish or African music as with high music of the choral tradition, La Cappella surpasses expectations from the first note. This release under director Karin Eklundh features Nordic music on the theme of love and threats against it, coming from well-known composers like Veljo Tormis as well as newer voices in the genre.

Gothenburg avant garde jazz outfit Pow Wow defies categorization. The group's influences dance from Swedish folklore to Native American, from lyric ballads to standards, from earworms to freeform treks through jazz history. And small wonder, as some members have been exploring the avant garde idiom together since 1975. The crew brings their individually formidable talents together again to "wop 'n wow" listeners with their collective power.

Lars Wivallius (1605-69) was one of Sweden's most talented poets in the 17th century, but he was also quite a rascal. Many a year behind bars sparked poetry glowing with the desire for freedom. These words were sung to well-known tunes of the day. Renowned musicologist Jan Olof Ruden has reconstructed melodies from the period, and Ack, Libertas! Features some of these melodies fused with the poetry of Wivallius. Martin Bagge is a singer, musician, composer and arranger who made a name for himself as a faithful interpreter of 18th century music. Mikael Paulsson is an accomplished lute player, arranger, and conductor. Ensemble Mare Balticum, founded in 1989, is based in southern Sweden and specializes in Early Music.

The bulk of the material on this, the third Voces Nordicae CD, is choral music specifically dedicated to the ensemble. Open minded towards new timbres, Voces Nordicae combines a pleasant light blend with surprising and ventured sounds. The choir was invited to sing at the World Symposium of Choral Music in Puerto Madryn, Argentina, in August 2011.

Classical Music

Classical Music