Mads Mathias - I'm All Ears (November 12, 2021 Storyville Records)

Mads Mathias’s highly anticipated second album of original jazz songs arranged for small ensemble, big band and strings, is due for release on 12th Nov 2021.

Since his breakthrough in 2012, leading Nordic jazz vocalist/saxophonist Mads Mathias has received numerous awards and toured clubs and festivals across Europe and Asia, performing at concert halls such as the Royal Albert Hall and Royal Festival Hall in London and the Forbidden City Concert Hall in Beijing. He has also frequently fronted the Danish Radio Big Band.

On this, his sophomore album, Mads has gathered together some of the best in the business, from Grammy-nominated DR arranger Peter Jensen and the UK's leading jazz arranger Guy Barker (London Jazz Festival’s ‘Jazz Voice’) to the leader of the renowned Danish String Quartet – Rune Tonsgård, Brazilian Pandero master Bernardo Aguiar and one of the world’s best harmonica players, Mathias Heise.

Alongside these new collaborators are long-time associates ‘the Quentin Tarantino of Danish jazz’ and playmate since childhood Peter Rosendal (keys), Morten Ankarfeldt (bass) and Esben Laub & UK rising-star James Maddren on drums, plus an incredible horn section.

‘It’s been really exciting to work with these amazing musicians and be able to use different instrumentation to best deliver each song’ Mads comments. In so doing, the album provides great variety, yet with a forward-looking, original and consistent ‘sound’ throughout.

1. Forget Me Not

2. Labour of Love

3. Angel in Disguise

4. I'm All Ears

5. Marigold

6. Forbidden Word

7. Henpecked Man

8. If I Were a Dancer

9. Little Then Did I Know

Mads Mathias - Lead Vocals & Tenor Saxophone

Peter Rosendal - Piano

Morten Ankarfeldt - Bass

James Maddren - Drums

Rune Tonsgård - Violin

Charlotte Rafn - Violin

Jens Balslev - Viola

Therese Åstrand Radev - Cello

Mathias Heise - Harmonica

Bernardo Aguiar - Percussion

Anders Gustafsson - Trumpet

Mårten Lundgren - Trumpet

Michael Blicher - Tenor Saxophone

Peter Jensen - Trombone

Jan Harbeck - Baritone Saxophone

Espen Laub von Lillienskjold - Drums

PREORDER

Cecilie Strange - Blikan (April 16, 2021 April Records)

Cecilie Strange grew up in a musical home and she began playing the saxophone already at age 12. Strange has studied music in the Danish city of Odense with the great jazz saxophonist Hans Ulrik and in New York with top saxophonist Chris Cheek, and her deep and soulful tenor sound has gained international acclaim. So far, she has released two solo albums and her third solo album, 'Blikan', will be released on April Records on April 16th, 2021. Together with guitarist Anna Roemer, she also makes up the ambient electro jazz duo, Kaleiido, who have collaborated with names like Mikkel Hess, Kasper Tranberg, Anders "AC" Christensen og Stine Steendorph. Besides that, Strange has also played in various jazz ensembles and folk groups and even in one pop band.

"Blikan", an Icelandic word derived from the Old Saxon language, means “to shine" or "to appear”. And as its title suggests, 'Blikan' came together almost magically. Recorded at The Village in Copenhagen on June 10 and 11, 2019, the two-day session was the first time Cecilie Strange had ever played with the three artists she intuitively knew were the ideal ensemble to manifest her vision: pianist Peter Rosendal, bassist Thommy Andersson and drummer Jacob Høyer. Their collaboration was so creatively inspired it produced not just one, but two, full-length albums. 'Blue', the tenor saxophonist’s second release as a leader, came out on April Records in May of 2020 to glowing reviews.

'Blikan' brings the session full circle, and is an essential companion piece to 'Blue'. Both herald Strange’s arrival as an exciting new voice in today’s dynamic Copenhagen jazz scene, as both a deeply intuitive tenor player and a visionary composer. Acutely attuned to the natural landscape, in both her native Denmark, and all the Far North countries around it, Strange paints sketches of Scandinavia with an achingly melancholic palette of tonal colors that also radiate with hope and light.

1. Eudaimonia 09:09

2. The Clearing 04:19

3. The Dance # 9 06:13

4. When Sunny Smiles 07:44

5. Wild Flower 06:05

6. Jag vet en dejlig rosa 07:03

7. Arise (CD Bonus track) 05:20

Cecilie Strange: Saxophone

Peter Rosendal: Piano

Thommy Andersson: Bass

Jakob Høyer: Drums

Recorded at The Village Recording, June 10th & 11th, 2019, by Thomas Vang

Mixed by August Wanngren/Oui Music

Mastered by John Fomsgaard at Karmacrew

Pre-order