Scan-Am Quartet feat. Fredrik Kronkvist, Soren Moller, Morten Ramsboel, Jason Marsalis
Scan-Am Quartet includes some of the finest Scandinavian and American jazz musicians. Together, they form a powerhouse of energy and rhythmic skills in a musical expression that explores inter continental connectivity and new directions in modern jazz.
Once in a while when musicians meet, a magical feeling of spiritual understanding emerges. When the Scan-Am Quartet was formed to perform at the Copenhagen Jazz Festival this feeling was present right from the beginning.
Though from different continents these four musicians speak the same universal language of improvised music.
fredrikkronkvist.com
sorenmoller.com
mortenramsboel.dk
jasonmarsalis.com
Listen here:
All four members in the band have contributed with compositions that make a deep personal variation to the repertoire.
We get lyrical Scandinavian themes with American rhythms and jazz with elements of contemporary classical music. Everything performed with a lively improvisational approach.
This musical journey also takes us to spiritual Coltrane-inspired Afro grooves and some swinging New Orleans grooves with a modernistic twist.
The ballads evoke romantic and tranquil moments in life and the power of Latin jazz combined with odd meter fusion gives the listener a multi-faceted experience in the world of jazz.
Swedish stellar alto man Fredrik Kronkvist, Danish New York-resident, pianist Søren Møller and Danish bassist Morten Ramsbøl has earlier collaborated on a project including the world-famous drummer Antonio Sanchez. The album ”A Tribute to Trane” released in 2007 resulted in a European tour.
Back in NYC pianist Søren Møller shared the bandstand with drummer Jason Marsalis and immediately the idea was born to form a versatile collaborative with Jason and Søren’s fellow Scandinavian musicians.
American drum star Jason Marsalis is known for his extremely thriving rhythmic drive and has been defining the vocabulary of jazz drumming since the early 90´s. He is the youngest brother in the famous Marsalis-family where the trumpeter Wynton Marsalis and saxophonist Branford Marsalis is some of the worlds leading voices on todays jazz scene.
The powerful and soulful altoman Fredrik Kronkvist is considered one of Europe’s finest alto saxophonists and takes charge whenever he is in the spotlight. Fredrik is an award-winning saxophonist with international level and he has several albums out as a leader.
Both his writing and improvisational skills are on display here and he offers the listener his experience in drawing the heat from a tune.
Currently living in New York City, pianist Søren Møller is one of only a few Scandinavians, who have accomplished making a living as a musician in this city. He is leading several projects in his own name and has composed for big band and classical chamber ensembles.
Søren’s composition San Francisco Blues draws on inspirations and techniques invented by the contemporary classical composer John Adams.
Morten Ramsbøl is among Denmark’s finest bassists, which does not say little regarding the bass tradition in Denmark with the heritage of Niels-Henning Orstedt-Pedersen setting the standard. Besides being a highly sought after sideman he has several projects as a leader including albums with Jeff Ballard and Joey Baron to name a few.
Linernotes by Jason Marsalis:
“When I lived in Brooklyn, NY in 2006, I did some gigs in New York with an alto saxophonist named Max Wild. One of the memories I had about the gig was that the pianist was playing the music with serious intensity. A year later after I moved back to New Orleans, LA, I got an e-mail from a pianist named Søren Møller about performing some gigs in Denmark with local musicians in that area. Turns out, Søren was on the gig with Max Wild and he was going to send me his new record of the music we were going to play. It was a tribute to John Coltrane and when he sent it, I honestly didn’t start checking it out until a month before the gig. When I put the record on to start studying, I realized that I had underestimated the music. I did come to Denmark prepared to play and when I flew in from the United States, I had to go straight to rehearsal from the airport, which is not an easy feat. It was at this rehearsal that I first met Fredrik Kronkvist and Morten Ransbøl. After the first note was played, I was immediately awoken from jetlag. The intensity that the musicians brought to the music was fierce and I had to step up to the plate as well. After that brief weekend of shows, Søren, a few months later, setup a two-week tour for the following year. It was later decided we would make a record toward the end of the tour and each of us would contribute original music.
I must say that this record has exceeded my expectations. Each song contains different personalities that make this record brimming with variety to keep the listener on their toes. Everything from Afro-Cuban, ballad, two-beat, impressionism, and New Orleans second-line (from the Swede in the band, no less) is represented in this music. I had a great time making this record with these musicians. Not only do Søren, Fredrik, and Morten understand a wide range of styles, each musician has a deep understanding of music traditions. Finally, there’s one more element of music they have not taken for granted: SWING!”
-Jason Marsalis
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