April Organic Grooves 20 Items

25,99 €*

Release: 2023 / EU – Original

Genre: Organic Grooves

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The new Danish neo-soul duo Tigeroak consists of Laurits Steen Moberg, an electronic musician, producer, and guitarist, and Anna Prinds, vocalist and lyrical composer. Tigeroak draws inspiration among underground jazz, hip-hop and neo-soul environments, which mixed with their Nordic influences, all contribute to the duo"s nuanced palette of sounds. By combining neo-soul features with electronic hip-hop grooves, melodic choruses and figurative lyrics, they aim to create a space for everybody to enjoy music with an experimental focus. Tigeroak was in 2022 selected for Jazz Danmark"s National Jazz Competition and performed twice in the very popular national television show DR"s: "Sammen - hver for sig". Their concert at the festival "Jazz and Roots"" was nominated to a Danish Music Award for "most innovative concert experience of the year". Recently the duo has played multiple concerts in Paris, and have recently travelled to London, to record for their future album inAngel-and Abbey Road Studios.

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Rasmus Soerensen

Traits

Release: 2024 / EU – Original

Genre: Organic Grooves

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Tomasz & The Individual Beings Dabrowski

Better

Release: 2024 / EU – Original

Genre: Organic Grooves

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Named "one of Europe"s most versatile and curious players" by Downbeat Magazine, Polish trumpeter TomaszDabrowski returns with the sophomore album from his internationally acclaimed septet. Following their eponymous 2022 debut, the ensemble proudly presents "Better",set to release on March29th on AprilRecords. With an atypicallineup featuring the cream of the crop of the Polish and Scandinavian contemporary improvisation scenes,"Better" capturesthe edge and energy of a live performance extended and elevated by the use of electronic instruments and textures.Drawing the listener in with its refined sense of space and pace, the record sees the septet navigate their way through Dabroski"s open compositional ideas, passing melodicstructuresaround the ensemble and evolving through etherealambientsoundscapes, scorching solos and adventurous cacophonies of collective improvisation. Drawing on a year"s worth of experience performing extensively together as an ensemble, the level of intensive listening, interactivity and trust within the group enables each instrumentalist to fearlessly contribute their voice."Every track has a unique twist. "Upright" plays with form. "Bonzer", the use ofinstrumentation. "Hale & Hearty" explores textures."A testament to the ensemble"s commitment to artisticgrowth and creativeevolution, "Better"reminds us to consider what we all can and should strive for. It"s an inspiring message that manifests in the music and radiates through every aspect of life. "We should all strive to do better. To be better versions of ourselves and observe how it resonates within and in those around us," Dabrowski says.

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Little North

Wild Open

LP | 2022 | EU | Original (April)

Release: 2023 / EU – Original

Genre: Organic Grooves

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Following two critically acclaimed albums in the space of just two years, contemporary Danish piano trio Little North continue their quest with upcoming album, "Wide Open", set to release on January 27th on April Records. "Wide Open" (as the name suggests) examines their interplay in a freer setting. An abstract and introspective continuation of their musical narrative, the music is written and performed with openness, curiosity for the sound of the room and with a sensitivity for what the next moment may bring. From the beginning, Little North have been hailed as young jazz musicians mature and wise beyond their years. Their previous release "Familiar Places" saw them featured on the cover of Spotify"s "State of Jazz" playlist twice, covered in Downbeat Magazine with a four star review, and championed by Danish National Radio P8 Jazz as Album of the week.Having spent the last several years defining and expanding their musical territory and with near-telepathic connection born out of this time together, they move effortlessly between composition and improvisation. Their sound is made up of tradition and adventure in equal measure, manifesting in seemingly effortless improvisations and tight-knit trio work based on sure-footed compositions.One might define Little North as a classic piano trio led by Benjamin Norholm Jacobsen"s introspectively dreamy piano playing, but this is a collective that is very much defined by all three musicians; Jacobsen on piano, Martin Brunbjerg Rasmussen on bass and Lasse Jacobsen on drums. Their use of space, texture, extended techniques, and above all, awareness and listening craft a unified sound that is meditative and healing in nature. As indicated in the record"s title, the ensemble"s fifth album is arguably their most explorative yet. It features three standout moments of completely improvised music as well as passages for each member of the ensemble to explore the timbral capacities of their instruments. Devolving to greater levels of intimacy and tension than we"...

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Morten Schantz Trio

Passenger

18,99 €*

LP | 2022 | EU | Original (April)

Release: 2022 / EU – Original

Genre: Organic Grooves

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Energetic contemporary jazz and intricate compositions cloaked in pop-like simplicity lead the way in the latest release from Danish pianist Morten Schantz and his trio, out 16th Sept on April Records. ‘Passenger’ - their third studio album - revels in exploring both the familiar and the unexpected, offering a modern jazz extension to the iconic Scandinavian piano trio sound. Rooted in thoughtful songwriting, the album moves seamlessly from comforting harmony of folk and pop music to extended passages of energetic virtuosic improvisation, propulsive syncopated riffs, and attitude-infused bluesy bass-lines. Taken as a whole, Morten’s compositional skill creates a series of songs which can feel more like a mini-suite with their labyrinthine hooks and through-composed sensibility. Continuing in the vein of the ensemble’s critically acclaimed 2014 release Unicorn and Morten’s 2017 release Godspeed (Edition Records), the group’s palette is extended with the inclusion of horns, percussion, and Ondes Martenot. Their 15 years of performing together can be heard through the ease in which they weave through their rich array of influences. The three musicians are highly active on the Danish and worldwide music scenes, each with impressive reputations and accolades under their belts. Drummer Janus Templeton was awarded the Grammy for ‘Jazz Album of the Year’ in 2007, Bassist Morten Ankarfeldt has released over 60 albums across his career, and Morten Schantz himself has been awarded the prestigious Young Nordic Jazz Comets, numerous compositional grants from the Danish Arts Council, and been nominated for two Danish Music Awards.

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Emil De Waal

Handmade In Denmark

18,99 €*

Gustaf Ljunggren With Skúli Sverrisson

Release: 2022 / EU – Original

Genre: Organic Grooves

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Emil de Waal’s 2021 release Vente re-introduced the world to a free-spirited Danish group with a nostalgic sensibility and a style which runs from trad jazz, to guitar-led country music and bubbling organ-led grooves. But in much the same way that their music rewards patience and attention, so too does their back-catalogue. Having joined forces with happening Danish label April Records during covid, they are set to re-release their 2015 offering Handmade In Denmark for an international audience - and with a first-time vinyl edition. That’s not to say it slipped the net completely last time around; renowned jazz writer Dave Sumner certainly caught it, describing the magical bond between the musicians and music which hits “that dreamy sweet-spot between wakefulness and a night of peaceful sleep.” But for those new to the party, it gives a chance to map the early iteration of a group whose playing expertly mixes a certain timeless quality with a seemingly unending stream of fresh ideas. The fascinating line-up sees 80-year old clarinet legend Elith "Nulle" Nykjær with jazzrock-pop drummer Emil de Waal, pensive Swedish multi-instrumentalist Gustaf Ljunggren and original group keyboardist Søren Kjærgaard. Writing the liner notes, Danish newspaper critic Henrik Palle notes: “These four diverse musicians share a deeply rooted love of music as a phenomenon which enables them to connect on a level above age, ethnicity and musical background. And as they stand on that level, playing their hearts out, they transcend into a sphere of congenial creativity. The reciprocal inspiration is flaming.” Approaching improvisation with an almost childlike curiosity, De Waal’s warm drum sound underpins the woody clarinet, the gentle throb of the organ and carefully chosen colours from steel guitar, mandola, celeste, marimba and more… Taken as a whole, the nine-tracks are eminently unclassifiable. From “part 1970s tv theme song, part new cool collective jam, and 100% catchy” (Bird Is The Worm) to intricate and rhythmically gifted melodies, there’s something for everyone to discover. And finally, as Palle points out, the album answers that burning question of what folk duo Simon & Garfunkel’s iconic The Sound of Silence would sound like without vocals, played on a tin can music box..!

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Floreana

CD | 2022 | EU | Original (April)

17,99 €*

Oilly Wallace & Johannes Wamberg

Release: 2022 / EU – Original

Genre: Organic Grooves, Classical Music

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Swedish multi-instrumentalist and composer Gustaf Ljunggren has teamed up with Icelandic Bass Guitar player and composer Skúli Sverrisson (Laurie Anderson, Ryuichi Sakamoto, Bill Frisell, Blonde Redhead ) to create an album that wishes to offer the listener private musical spaces to dwell in for a while. Ljunggren’s musical language is clear, gentle, and melodic, and the pieces chosen for this album all share a sense of weaving past and future together into the present. Gustaf Ljunggren reflects about the music on Floreana: “I listened inwards, and it sounded like this. Melodies came to the surface, and I chose to say ‘yes’ to them, embrace them, carry them forward. My musical partner on this album, Skúli Sverrisson, has been with me throughout this process; embracing the music with both profound dedication and artistic boldness.” The music on the album grants the listener access to something that’s forgotten or undiscovered. There’s a sensuousness throughout the work; musical spaces that reveal possibilities to listen inwards, aided by repetition in melodies and patterns. The music doesn’t seek climaxes as much as it seeks states of presence and attention. The live concerts with Gustaf Ljunggren and Skúli Sverrisson will explore the spaces the music on Floreana invites to. Two of northern Europe’s most distinctive instrumentalists will interpret Ljunggren’s compositions with a strong attention to the environment where the music is performed. The audience can expect the performers to display a deep commitment to the presence of the music as it unfolds.

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Mosaique

LP | 2022 | EU | Original (April)

19,99 €*

Release: 2022 / EU – Original

Genre: Organic Grooves

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Oilly Wallace (b. 1996) and Johannes Wamberg (b. 1991) are celebrated as two of the greatest young talents on the contemporary Danish jazz scene, but before the public found them, they had already found each other. They have known each other for years and their friendship comes through in their truly special symbiotic interplay. It is as if their sound reflects a true friendship; a place in which there is space for both playfulness and sensitivity, melancholia and pure joy. In October 2016 they released their critically acclaimed debut LP, ‘Easy Living’, which was one of the most played records on Danish Radio P8 Jazz and they have now been in the studio yet again and a whole new record, consisting of their own compositions, alongside carefully selected standards, now finally sees the light of day, here in October 2020, by way of April Records. This new album is entitled ‘Mosaïque’ and is produced by Oilly Wallace, Johannes Wamberg and Jonathan Bremer and is recorded at Bremer’s Voodoo Bug Studios. Describing the record in their own words, the two young musicians say: “Our new record is the fruit of one year’s work in the studio, where we have refined our consonance and our repertoire, and pursued the narrative that lies within our musical vision. One could say that we have cut to the bone and have dived deeper into our own sound.” And in the leftover bone there is a marrow. And its substance there are mature blood cells. Boys have become men and the music has aged, just like good wine.

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Lis Wessberg

Twain Walking

Rasmus Sorensen / Alexander Claffy / Kendrick Scott

Release: 2024 / EU – Original

Genre: Organic Grooves

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Leading Danish trombonist Lis Wessberg is grounded by the concept that a strong melody, and a rich sound are the two most important elements in composition and performance.A continuation of the refined contemporary answer to the"Cool Jazz" sound she"s been cultivating for the past 30 years, her sophomore album"Twain Walking" is set to release on April 12th onApril Records.With more than50 album credits to her name, and having performed and toured with renowned artists including Marilyn Mazur, Fredrik Lundin, Joyce Moreno, Kid Creole & The Coconuts, Ernie Wilkins Almost Big Band feat. Randy Brecker, and more, 2021 saw the release of her debut album "Yellow Maps"to critical acclaim from all around Europe.Diving deep into the personal exploration of her creative roots, "Twain Walking"hails from the warm vitality of New Orleans jazz, to the reflective hum of the ECM sound, and the boundary pushing songwriting of Radiohead.With a respectful nod to her influences such as Miles Davis, Curtis Fuller, Danish Erling Kroner, and Palle Mikkelborg, Wessberg operates within thetraditions they established. However, resisting producing a mere echo of the past, she cultivates her owndistinctaesthetic inspired in equal parts by her heroes as well as contemporary zeitgeist.Led by Wessberg"s dynamic trombone playing, her breathlike approach to the instrument mimics a lamenting human voice singing intricately lyrical melodies. Rock inspired drum grooves, thick synth timbres, and cavernous reverbs craft an expansive and dream-like contemporary soundworld in which Wessberg"s thoughtfully crafted compositions can unfold. From spacious,Nordic ballads todance floor psychedelia, the ensemble tackle all ten varied compositions with confidence, maturity, and a dedicated sense of self-expression.Featuring Estonian rising star Karmen Roivassepp on vocals, her effortless soloisticcontributions explore lyrical themes of recognising the beauty in love in life, elevating the record"s melancholic and reflective...

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Balancing Act

Release: 2024 / EU – Original

Genre: Organic Grooves

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Kalaha

Nord Havn

Release: 2024 / EU – Original

Genre: Organic Grooves

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Jacob Anderskov

I Sang

Release: 2024 / EU – Original

Genre: Organic Grooves

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David Miilmann Group

What's Left

Release: 2024 / EU – Original

Genre: Organic Grooves

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Rasmus Oppenhagen Krogh

Until Then

Andreas Toftemark Quartet

Release: 2023 / EU – Original

Genre: Organic Grooves

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Following the success and widespread critical acclaim of his 2020 releaseWhereabouts "", Danish guitarist/composer Rasmus Oppenhagen Krogh proudly presents his third record, Until Then The first singleHow U Look "", released on May 12th, has already garnered media attention and was placed on Danish Radio DR P8 Jazz s A rotation list. Grounded in the contemporary nordic noir sound, Until Then is dark, spacious, and meditative. Created in close collaboration with Danish producer, drummer and sound designer Rasmus Juncker, the album s 12 tracks are a sonic exploration of the coming together of jazz musicianship and contemporary pop/rock production techniques. Compositionally, Krogh works in the intersection between strict rhythmic progressions and open rubato passages, as well as the meeting between the through through-composed and the improvised. Led by his lush Frisell/Bro Bro-esque guitar sounds, the ensemble navigates through a wealth of cavernous soundscapes and rich harmonic planes. As on Krogh"s previous releases, he once again finds himself surrounded by some of the finest musicians that Denmark has to offer; Anders AC " Christensen on bass (Paul Motian, Jakob Bro), Simon Toldam on keys (Simon Toldam Trio, Efterklang), Jakob Hoyer on drums (The Raveonetes, Jakob Bro), Lars Greve on reeds (Bon Iver, Girls in Airports) and Victor Dybbroe on percussion (Girls in Airports). In addition to his own work on his personal projects, Krogh is in high demand as a guitar player and works with a great diversity of names including top singer singer-songwriter Guldimund, pop sensation Takykardia and has played with Kentaur as well as Danish master saxophonist and improviser Jesper Zeuthen.

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La Gare

Release: 2023 / EU – Original

Genre: Organic Grooves

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Jakob Dinsen / Anderschristensen / Lauste Sonne

Moonlight Drive

Release: 2023 / EU – Original

Genre: Organic Grooves

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Jakob Dinesen, Anders Christensen and Laust Sonne are three heavyweights of Danish music, united by their all-embracing approach to music making. Their careers have seen them involved with household names of contemporary jazz including Aaron Parks and Kurt Rosenwinkel, afrobeat legend Tony Allen, popular Danish stadium rock band D-A-D and everything in between. A followup to their 2021 release "Blessings", their raw, live, chord-less trio record "Moonlight Drive" is set to release on September 8th on April Records.A coming together of Scandinavian jazz, the avant-garde, chamber music, and rock and roll, Moonlight Drive"s intriguing sound separates the essence of what jazz is from its cliché"s and idioms to create something truly different. The ensemble"s laid back, simplistic, and yet completely immersive playing style is full of groove, lyrical melody, rich harmony, and texture, all without the inclusion of a harmony instrument such as the piano or guitar. Evolving from intimate sparseness and comfort to energetic improvisations that challenge the listener with tension and atonality, what is ever apparent is that these are musicians that play to serve the music, not their own egos. With compositions from each member of the three piece, the record is a collection of musical statements and wordless stories that pay tribute to their greatest muses and strongest relationships. Through "Ingrid" Christensen encapsulates his deep love for his Grandmother, "Yahya" is Dinesen"s tribute to Danish poet Yahya Hassan who tragically passed away too soon, "Aveny T" is Sonne"s musical reminiscence of a performance in Copenhagen"s theatre by the same name, while the final track "New Beginnings" is an ode to the bonds of friendship between the three musicians.

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Jesper Thorn

Dragoer

Release: 2023 / EU – Original

Genre: Organic Grooves

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Danish bassist Jesper Thorn has come to be known for his deeply personal, introspective, soul-searching sound through which he strives to untangle his innermost thoughts and conflicts. A followup to his award-winning 2020 release "Boy", "Dragor" dives into his complex feelings towards the town by the same name in which he grew up. The third album under his own name, it"s set to release on September 29th on April Records. Rooted firmly in the Scandinavian jazz idiom, "Dragor" is unwaveringly beautiful with a complexity and darkness to it that reflects Thorn"s turbulent emotional relationship to his hometown. His stories he set to music include his strained relationship with his father, overcoming a debilitating case of asthma brought on by being born five weeks early, dealing with feeling that he didn"t belong, and the deep-seated silence and guilt that came from his Catholic heritage. Thorn"s new record carries forward the same lineup as his previous two bodies of work - Marc Méan on piano/electronics and Tobias Wiklund on cornet, with the new additions of Andreas Bernitt on violin and viola and April Records labelmate Cecilie Strange on tenor saxophone.Melancholic harmony and intricate songwriting provide the delicate framework through which each member of Thorn"s quintet can impart their own impressions and feelings on his stories. The arrangements create space for every corner of the quintet to carry melodies, be they written or improvised, and the resulting sound is dynamic, evolving, and highly immersive.The gentle timbre of Strange"s tenor, lamenting cornet melodies, soaring strings, warm synth textures, muted pianos and masterful musicianship all contribute to the realisation of Thorn"s cohesive conceptual and musical vision.

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Cecilie Strange

Beyond

Gustaf Ljunggren / Emil De Waa

Release: 2023 / EU – Original

Genre: Organic Grooves

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A musical statement of peace, relaxation and contemplation inspired by the arrival of motherhood, Danish saxophonist and April Records artist Cecilie Strange presents her new album "Beyond".Following her acclaimed 2021 release "Blikan", which has seen Strange gain international recognition in the form of over 1 million plays on Spotify and reviews in wide-reaching publications including Downbeat magazine.The record is a melancholic, spacious, Nordic ode to the circle of life, both literally and conceptually. Recorded by four musicians (her "dream team") arranged in a circle, the compositions reflect on those she loves, and those she has loved and lost.It begins with a song dedicated to the grandmother she lost when she was eight years old as well as to her daughter, both who share the name "Alice". "Byssan Lull" is an interpretation of a lullaby Cecilie sings to her children, taught to her by her husband who had it sung to him by his mother when he was a child. "Where My Heart Lives" is dedicated to her husband, with whom she has spent half of her life. "Midnight Sun Upon Saltværsoya" was inspired by witnessing the eternal light on a small island off the coast of Norway.Lyrical, lamenting melodies are the focal point of "Beyond", emerging from every corner of the ensemble and removing the boundaries between the improvised and the composed. Experienced ensemble playing, comforting harmony and sparse, intentional musicality create a sense of delicate intensity that demands to be listened to.This "dream" quartet of pianist Peter Rosendal, drummer Jakob Hoyer and bassist Thommy Andersson accompanied Cecilie on her previous two bodies of work. "The mutual understanding and musical chemistry between us allows for a freer approach to ensemble playing" she commented. There were no discussions regarding who would take what solo - the four simply arranged themselves in a circle and played. The result - with the addition of guest vocalist Josefine Cronholm on two tracks - is a dynamic, emotive and intera...

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Stockholm Kobenhavn

Release: 2023 / EU – Original

Genre: Organic Grooves

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The concept of strict musical genre has arguably been dead for decades, and the latest offering from Danish powerhouses Gustaf Ljunggren and Emil de Waal once again reinforces this notion. Their third collaborative album "Stockholm Kobenhavn", a spacious, cinematic and boundaryless exploration of their shared musical connection is set to release on July 7th on April Records. Emil de Waal has been one of Denmark"s leading drummers for three decades. Gustaf Ljunggren initially studied the saxophone at the Rhythmic Conservatory of Copenhagen, where whispers spread throughout the school that he was the best saxophone player in town and yet never practiced. His career has seen him prove that he can bring grace, musicality and heart to any instrument he touches, from the pedal steel guitar, to the bass, piano, and more. In the words of Danish multi-instrumentalist Kresten Osgood, "Although an instrument may be new to him he is able to play it like he has had a lifetime of experience working with it. Over the years I think the only instrument I haven"t seen him play is the drums." "Stockholm Kobenhavn" has a vast array of influences including Jazz, Americana, Film Music and Electronica. It is full of space, coaxing the listener into a meditative state and inviting them to drift away with their own imagination. The record plays as a series of open-ended sketches or moods, absent of big defining melodies or familiar song-like structures. Each piece evolves over time, providing musical interest in the form of rhythmic ideas, rich harmony, texture, and repetitive melodic patterns from a guitar or rhodes. Imaginative electronic production techniques combine the warm sounds of acoustic instruments with a constantly developing palette of otherworldly textures and effects. Grounded by an unwavering pulse, the combination of programmed beats and acoustic drums provide the hypnotic foundation over which the pair explore and challenge their common musical ground. The album closes with an intimate recording from a performance at Stuk in Belgium, with a comforting guitar-led Americana tune bringing the listener back into the room and sharing in the joy the duo have felt in playing together over the past twenty years.

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A Catch

Moko Jumbie