Danish drummer/composer Stefan Pasborg grew up in a household of ballet dancers, allowing him to have an intimate relationship with their lifestyle and performances. One of his first formative musical experiences was witnessing a performance of Igor Stravinsky’s legendary ballet, The Rite of Spring, by The Danish Royal Ballet. The experience embedded a love for Stravinsky’s work that has manifested in Pasborg’s new recording, Ritual Dances.
Pasborg has been an important voice in the European jazz and improvised music scenes for the past two decades. His dynamic drumming and eclectic tastes have pushed him into collaborations with many stellar musicians, including Wadada Leo Smith, Tomasz Stańko, Miroslav Vitouš, amongst many others. Pasborg has also led a number of celebrated ensembles, the most notable being Ibrahim Electric.
Even though his compositions were seen as dangerously revolutionary when they premiered, Igor Stravinsky’s music has inspired listeners for generations. His many works have become part of the canon for many philharmonic orchestras but are still presented in more challenging programs. Stravinsky was a key figure in avant-garde symphonic writing, but it was his ballets, The Rite of Spring, The Firebird, and Petrushka, that solidified his legend.
The Rite of Spring and The Firebird were the two ballets that inspired Pasborg to reinterpret the Stravinsky’s work for a jazz big band. Ritual Dances takes music from these two works as a basis for Pasborg’s re-structuring. The pieces are heard performed by two large ensembles: the UMO Helsinki Jazz Orchestra on two live cuts and Blood Sweat Drum+Bass for the complete studio recording. The bands are augmented by a number of soloists and electronic musicians.
The program begins with UMO’s take of “Spring Round Dance,” a bombastic and grooving piece with winding Rhodes and aggressive horns. “Sacrificial Dance” introduces the Blood Sweat Drum+Bass ensemble with a marching cadence, which builds into a rocking ending with Jeppe Kjellberg’s wailing guitar. Mystery and intensity are intertwined on “Ritual Dance,” while Pasborg’s subtle drums lead into “Adoration of the Earth,” where Stravinsky’s famous theme can clearly be heard on Fredrik Lundin’s tenor sax.
Overdriven guitar ambience leads to the edgy, martial cadence of “Dances of the Young Girls;” swirling crescendos feature a brilliant Ståle Storløkken organ solo. Ethereal percussion provides an aural bed for Goran Kajfes’s trumpet on “Introduction,” while “Princess’ Game” borrows from The Firebird in an enticingly spastic jaunt. The slinky sound of “Infernal Dance” has a noirish tinge. The laconic “Tableau” features a warm and slightly western duet between tenor player Anders Banke and guitarist Kjellberg before launching into a challenging rhythmic workout. Blood Sweat revisit “Spring Round Dance” with Lundin’s sax singing over the infectious, churning rhythms. The recording concludes with UMO’s intense and episodic performance of “Dances of the Young Girls,” featuring standout performances by Seppo Kantonen and Jussi Kannaste.
Stefan Pasborg’s reinvention of Igor Stravinsky’s iconic works from The Rite of Spring and The Firebird are as brilliant as they are invigorating. Ritual Dances doesn’t rewrite Stravinsky so much as bring his work into the 21st century in bombastic style.
1. Spring Round Dance (Live)
2. Sacrificial Dance
3. Ritual Dance
4. Adoration of the Earth
5. Dances of the Young Girls (Studio)
6. Introduction
7. Princess' Game
8. Infernal Dance
9. Tableau
10. Spring Round Dance (Studio)
11. Dances of the Young Girls (Live)
Stefan Pasborg - drums
Anders Banke - tenor sax (tracks 3, 5, 6, 8, 9), clarinet (tracks 2, 3, 4, 6, 7)
Anders Filipsen - keyboards (tracks 2-10)
Fredrik Lundin - tenor sax (tracks 3, 4, 10)
Goran Kajfes - trumpet (track 6)
Jeppe Kjellberg - guitar (tracks 2, 3, 5, 7, 8, 9, 10)
Jeppe Tuxen - Hammond B3 organ (tracks 6, 8)
Jussi Kannaste - tenor sax (tracks 1, 11)
Mikael Myrskog - Moog bass (tracks 1, 7, 8, 11)
Rune Harder Olesen - percussion (tracks 7, 10)
Seppo Kantonen - keyboards (tracks 1, 11)
Ståle Storløkken - Hammond B3 organ (track 5)
UMO Helsinki Jazz Orchestra (tracks 1 & 11):
Ville Vannemaa - conductor
Mikko Mäkinen - soprano, alto sax
Sampo Kasurinen - tenor sax, flute
Teemu Salminen - tenor sax, bass clarinet
Max Zenger - baritone sax, bass clarinet
Marko Portin - flute
Teemu Mattsson - trumpet
Timo Paasonen - trumpet
Tomi Nikku - trumpet
Tero Saarti - trumpet
Kasperi Sarikoski - trombone
Mikko Mustonen - trombone
Pekka Laukkanen - trombone
Mikael Långbacka - bass trombone
Aarne Riikonen - percussion
Blood Sweat Drum+Bass (tracks 2-10):
Jens Christian "Chappe" Jensen - conductor, saxophones (track 9)
Michael Mølhede - trumpet, flugelhorn
Bent Hjort - trumpet, flugelhorn
Malte Pedersen - trumpet, flugelhorn
René Damsbak - trumpet, flugelhorn
Ole Visby - soprano sax, clarinet, bass clarinet
Julie Kjaer - alto sax, flute, alto flute
Jacob Rønne Danielsen - tenor saxophone, contrabass clarinet, clarinet
Nikolaj Schneider - tenor sax, clarinet
Harald Langåsdalen - baritone sax, clarinet
Jens Kristian Bang - trombone
Jonathan Bruun Meyer - trombone
Kirstine Kjaerulff Ravn - trombone
Jonathan Henneveld - bass trombone
Rasmus Svale Kjaergård Lund - tuba
Sisse Foged Hyllestad - bass
Magnus Lindgaard Jochumsen - percussion
Søren Lyngsø Knudsen - electronics
