This album marks the Quartet's third release in jsut five years. The internationally recognized jazz quartet consisting of one Danish and three Swedes, hoping their new album will be able to touch listeners ina nd outside the jazz world. The album is dedicated to the refugees who come to the north in recent years and SE-Quartet allows a portion of the album sales go to charity. Going North title aimed at the refugees who come here, and at teh same time a musical reference, because the music has a Nordic tone based on the Scandinavian jazz. The music captivates with its beautiful melodies and energetic beats, and a responsive interaction with epic improvisations. On the more grandiose song Even Death Will Die involved the award-winning chamber choir Stella. The compositions have SE-Quartet put extra focus on breaking the traditional framework that jazz music often with theme-solo-theme form. An example of this is the song Wilhelmina - Storuman beginning with a melodic soprano sax theme that develops into a B part with fast unison piano-sax phrases and out into a free piano-drum improvisation. SE-Quartet also get inspiration from different genres like gospel music, avant-garde, classical, popular music and soul to break boundaries. SE-Quartet do not want to be judgmental but calls for something that they believe is in the long run. This call is illustrated in the song The Power of Forgiveness Rasmus H Thomsen wrote for a radio worship service with the South African Desmond Tutu. Being able to forgive is the most powerful toolt o unite regardless terms of conflicts between countries, communities, or if it is about a wounded relationship between two people.

Classical Music

"When I was 5 years old my family relocated from my birthplace Umeå to Hedvigsnäs, a small farm just outside the town of Tibro. There, my sister and I spent a few carefree years prior to starting school and submitting to a life of responsibilities and schedules. As I recall, the sun shone constantly, both during summer as well as reflecting across a gleaming blanket of snow in winter. Our little world seemed endless and filled with unfamiliar places begging to be explored. Every single door was a potential portal to a new world and we filled every nook and cranny with our imagination. A tractor could, if needs be, become a spacecraft. Imagination led the way and we gladly followed wherever it took us. During my year as Composer in Residence at Norrbotten Big Band, my thoughts were on several occasions beckoned by this period in my life, so long ago, inviting me to contemplate the role it plays today and what it symbolizes to me. I’ve had a similar feeling about Norrbotten Big Band; a place of endless possibilities limited only by my own imagination and ability to convey my ideas. Throughout my year as Composer in Residence I had the chance, together with the band, to explore possibilities without stress, make necessary changes after rehearsals and receive valuable feedback from the musicians. The sum total of all this interaction affected the music in a profound way." - Peter Danemo

Classical Music

Classical Music

Classical Music

Taken from Lars Danielsson: Per, Lars, and Henrik are the core of the original version of Funk Unit (with Nils Landgren) where they together created a raw, wild, and unpredictable framework to their a little bit different view of the genre Funk/Jazz. Albums such as Redhorn and Live in Stockholm with Maceo Parker are examples of some of the influences that they have "marinated" in their long-standing collaboration with Michael Ruff, Randy Brecker, Brenda Russell, etc. Studio Tan emerged out of the desire to continue building on common experiences and create a collective musical frame on a platform where they could meet and create musical moments for themselves and their audience.

A few years ago, Norrbotten Big Band began a project with composers in residence. This means that one composer works closely with the band during one year, and composes new music for them. First out to get this assignment was Cecilia Persson, twofold recipient of Swedish public radio’s award Jazzkatten, in the composer’s category. When Cecilia’s music was presented on the record Open Rein (2014), it gained recognition precisely for Cecilia’s ability to put a composition and ensemble in focus: Swedish newspaper Kristianstadsbladet called it “a historical breakthrough.” On that album and in other contexts- in the band Paavo or with Lina Nyber, for example- Cecilia is also the pianist, but on this new big band album, she has put that role aside and made the orchestra her instrument. Cecilia’s stint as Composer in Residence began with her making interviews and improvisation exercises with all the musicians in the band. That way she got to know them both personally and musically, in order to make use of these individuals’ different characters. Cecilia Persson’s music features sly, serpentine melodies and riffs in shifting time signatures. This album also features much improvisation. By adding variable elements to her compositions, Cecilia is able to change dynamics and form her place in the middle of the ensemble.

The debut of jazz sextet More Than a Pair, co-founded by jazz vocalist Pernilla Andersson and trumpet player Samuel Olsson, partners in life as well as in music is a tight collection of swinging vocal jazz that features a selection of covers and originals performed with an up tempo warmth.

Classical Music

"Tall Tales" originated as the graduation project of Arvid Ingeberg and Oskar Alex, two friends at the Royal College of Music in Stockholm, Sweden. The goal of the project was to become better composers, arrangers, and musicians by starting a completely new band, writing/arranging every piece of music together, working as a team from start to finish, and growing by challenging themselves and each other to reinvent what they had done musically up to that point. This resutled in the seven piece band "Tall Tales", and their first album "GAMUT" is now being released. The music is a combination of the two leaders' shared influences, which include everything from The Beatles to Fleetfoxes, Vulfpeck, and Daft Punk. They do not shy away from combining genres, and the result is a fresh mix of very melodic, groovy, and contemporary music, with plenty of room for improvisation, as well as carefully arranged and orchestrated passages.

Classical Music

When Anna Lundqvist (voc) and Jonas Andr� (piano) met over 20 years ago, they soon realized they had a special kind of musical connection - a communication of a near telepathic nature. Now the duo reunites to rekindle that old spark again, and to release their debut album, Reunion, into the world. The music flows seamlessly between European jazz and pop, where original material intertwines with songs by, for instance, Joni Mitchell, Kenny Wheeler, Norma Winstone, Alexander L�vmark, Anders von Hofsten, and Jay-Jay Johansson. Melancholic harmony and drama are the key elements that make up the profound and honest repertoire with lyrics about life, passion, and will. It was 20 years ago, when they both studied at Skurup's Folk High School, that they played together for the first time. And despite coming from different musical backgrounds, they quickly realized they had a special kind of musical chemistry. However, life and further studies made them decide to pause the duo indefinitely. But the will to play together never went away, and now the duo has been revived to develop that chemistry and to make new music.

He is one of Sweden's most personal trumpet players, a musician whose manner of expression is as timeless as it is modern.On his new CD "Aspiration" we can also hear Peter Asplund in his rather lesser known role as jazz vocalist.� I want to show my full spectrum of colors, for the first time letting the jazz trumpeter and the jazz singer-artist-entertainer live side by side," says Peter Asplund.Aspiration" took shape during a couple of intensive days in the studio. Outside, autumn storms were raging; inside, open musical conversations over a dozen durable standards was the agenda.

The music of the present album is mostly melancholic yet full of energy. It consists of songs that Linnea Jonsson has written over the past years during her music studies. Since the music is original there are no clear ideals about how it should be played, which has made composing an important and allowing space for her to explore her own voice as a trumpeter and composer. "The album is representing development and my musical journey so far. The theme of spring and nature grew upon me when I put together the album. As for many others, I have always felt a strong connection to nature and therefor that has been a natural source of inspiration in my composing."