Koma Saxo with Sofia Jernberg - Koma West (March 18, 2022 We Jazz Records)

Petter Eldh's explosive ensemble Koma Saxo continues their adventures with a new album "Koma West", out on We Jazz Records, 18 March 2022. The album sees Koma Saxo expand on their previous sound with the addition of vocalist Sofia Jernberg and a strong cast of featured artists, including cellist Lucy Railton, violinist Maria Reich, pianist Kit Downes and accordionist Kiki Eldh (Petter's mom!). The hard-hitting key quintet remains, including Eldh on bass and assorted instruments, Christian Lillinger on drums, plus saxophonists Otis Sandsjö (of Y-OTIS), Jonas Kullhammar and Mikko Innanen bringing the SAXO to the KOMA operation.

At 14 tracks, "Koma West" is a full menu of monumental compositional ideas that could spawn entire albums. True to his chop & go production style, Eldh relies on continuous movement while presenting another all killer no filler program taking Koma Saxo on a sonic outing not quite like anything that had previously appeared under the band's name. That being said, there's very much the Petter Eldh touch here, one which might be hard to pinpoint and verbalise, but nevertheless a recognisable style of composing, producing and arranging.

Thematically, the album is rooted in the West Coast of Sweden, where Eldh grew up – he's from a tiny town called Lysekil. There's a thread of Swedish folk song tradition that has been part of the Koma Saxo DNA from the get-go and you can hear that here as well, especially on cuts such as "Närhet", beautifully sung by Sofia Jernberg.

Petter Eldh says:

"In a way, it's a concept album and a celebration of the Swedish West Coast. The first single is called 'Koma Kaprifol', and kaprifol is the landscape flower of Bohuslän on the West coast, where I grew up. I'm not too wild about attaching strong narratives to my music but there's no way around it this time. The oysters, a common snack around the coast, are a strong conceptual presence here. Anyway, they seem to pop up here and there quite often already thus far in the Koma Saxo narrative, even though it's not always so obvious. Koma Vocals! Koma Strings! I love the presence of Sofia Jernberg here and I love writing string arrangements, too, although I never thought I would do it for Koma, but of course, Koma should have some strings, why not?. Koma Saxo should and can become anything." 

1. Lo Ve Ko Ma

2. Croydon Koma

3. Koma Krig

4. Flamman

5. Lake Koma

6. Koma Kaprifol

7. Ostron Accordion

8. Klippan Granit

9. Koma Rail

10. Närhet

11. Koma Fred

12. Saxo Chop

13. Clos Eko

14. Koma Camu

Petter Eldh - Double Bass, Sampler, Piano, Percussion

Sofia Jernberg - Voice

Christian Lillinger - Drums

Otis Sandsjö - Tenor Saxophone, Alto Clarinet

Jonas Kullhammar - Tenor Saxophone, Flute, Slide Saxophone

Mikko Innanen - Alto Saxophone, Sopranino Saxophone

Lucy Railton - Cello

Maria Reich - Violin

Kiki Eldh (the momvillain) - Accordion

Kit Downes - Piano

Produced by Petter Eldh

Executive producer Matti Nives

All compositions by Petter Eldh except “Närhet”, written by Fritz Sjöström, arranged by Petter Eldh

Recorded at Atlantis, Stockholm, 14th of April 2021, by Niclas Lindström

Additional recordings by Petter Eldh at Koma Saxo Industries, Berlin

Some of the voice and piano additions recorded by Sofia and Kit somewhere in Europe

Kiki Eldh recorded by Petter Eldh at Mountain Man Studios, Lysekil

Mixed by Petter Eldh at Koma Saxo Industries, Berlin

Mastered by Martin Ruch at CONTROL ROOM BERLIN

Design by Matti Nives

PRE ORDER

PUNKT.VRT.PLASTIK Kaja Draklser / Petter Eldh / Christian Lillinger - Zurich Concert (March 11, 2022 Intakt Records)

“A supergroup” is what the German music magazine Jazzthetik calls Punkt.Vrt.Plastik. Kaja Draksler, Petter Eldh and Christian Lillinger make up this trio – “Two musicians and one musician who are among the most exciting and active that the European avant-garde has to offer.” and Die Zeit writes: “They reinterpret an entire genre at once: the good old piano trio.” The trio convinces with a highly individual sound and a rarely heard clarity and precision, even where there is free improvisation and where rhythm, melody and metrics dissolve. now, a year after their celebrated album Somit, they present an impressive live statement that takes up the material from their eponymous first album and Somit and impressively demonstrates the live realizations of studio ideas. “It is a stunning reminder that whatever else it can be, music is a fundamentally communicative enterprise. It is our great fortune that the microphones were up on this night so that Punkt.Vrt.Plastik can again tell us what they said”, writes Alexander Hawkins in the liner notes.

1. Nuremberg Amok (Live)

2. Axon (Live)

3. Trboje (Live)

4. Vrvica I (Live)

5. Amnion (Live)

6. Body Decline - Natt Raum (Live)

7. Morgon Morfin (Live)

8. Vrvica II (Live)

9. Membran (Live)

10. Traces of Veins (Live)

11. Veins (Live)

12. Zug (Live)

13. Azan (Live)

Kaja Draksler: Piano

Petter Eldh: Bass

Christian Lillinger: Drums, Percussion

Music by Kaja Draksler (Buma), Petter Eldh (STIM), Christian Lillinger (GEMa). Recorded live May 14, 2021, at unerhört!-Festival at Rote Fabrik in Zurich by Michael Brändli. Mixed at Hardstudios in Winterthur by Christian Lillinger and Michael Brändli. Mastered at Hardstudios by Michael Brändli. Midi quarter- tone keyboard programmed by Gianluca Elia. Cover photo: Kaja Draksler. Graphic design: Paul Bieri. Liner notes: Alexander Hawkins. Band photo: Palma Fiacco. Produced by Kaja Draksler, Petter Eldh, Christian Lillinger and Intakt Records. Published by Intakt Records.

PRE-ORDER

Kit Downes | Petter Eldh | James Maddren | "Vermillion" | February 11, 2022 ECM

Pianist Kit Downes Continues to Push

New Concepts through a Trio Format

in his Latest Release Vermillion

Available February 11 via ECM Records

After his widely acclaimed ECM leader-debut Obsidian saw Kit Downes exploring a broad spectrum of organ timbres and the chamber-toned follow-up Dreamlife Of Debris substantially expanded the instrumental pallet, Vermillion now introduces us to Kit’s exceptional pianistic qualities in a trio context with collaborators Petter Eldh on bass and James Maddren on drums. 

The Guardian has praised Kit for his “uncanny ability to make difficult music sound natural” and Vermillion provides proof of that, capturing the trio in a carefully assorted piano trio programme that treads gentle lyricism and bold creative outbursts in equal measures and with a strong penchant for melody.

“This record is different from what I’ve done before. We pushed ourselves into an area that we haven’t played in before, which is a more chamber music-oriented sound. The complex rhythmic component is still kept intact, but it’s wrapped in a different aesthetic.” Kit traces his constant search for new musical challenges back to his early mentor, pianist John Taylor, who passed in 2016 and to whom Kit dedicated his first ECM recording: “John sought after real moments in the music, often by doing something unpredictable. He wanted to make new things happen and was obsessed with taking risks musically, which is what I think I did with Obsidian and what we’re doing now on Vermillion.”

Risk comes in subtle disguise as the trio navigates rich and varied structures. Powerful bass attack is intercepted by the softest piano touch, uneven meters veiled in rubato feel and Kit’s unique harmonic language hides its intricacies in patient timing and warm cadences. James Maddren’s percussive contribution is both assertive and adaptable, woven into the music’s fabric. 

No matter whether written and rehearsed at an earlier point or brought to the group on the day of the recording, the trio gives each idea definition and every impulse precise form. “Rather than just documenting everything we’ve done live, with Manfred Eicher’s help we picked what felt like a great collection of music – some music written a couple of years ago, other songs merely two days old. ‘Class Fails’ for example was brought on the day of the recording by Petter. Its bass line may sound like it’s free, but it’s actually in quite specific time. As we started playing the song it turned into what sounds like an organized rubato.” 

On Vermillion, construction and deconstruction exist in harmony with each other, creating organic shapes as the two extremes pull at opposite ends and yield gracefully melodious themes in the process. Kit and Petter each came up with five pieces, while the eleventh and final one is an abstract take on Jimi Hendrix’ “Castles Made Of Sand” – the trio joining in a careful unravelling of the song’s individual elements. Vermillion, recorded at the Auditorio Stelio Molo in Lugano in May and June 2021, was produced by Manfred Eicher. 

James Maddren and Kit Downes’ musical association goes back to their college days, when the two were flatmates, making music together on a daily basis. James studied with percussionist Martin France at the Royal Academy of Music in London and belongs to the most in-demand percussionists in today’s UK jazz scene – having contributed to recordings and performances by the likes of Norma Winstone, Marc Copland and Gwilym Simcock, on top of being the rhythmic backbone to the majority of Kit’s projects. 

Known as the bassist in pianist Django Bates’ Belovèd trio – the trio’s album Study of Touch was released on ECM in 2017 – Petter Eldh’s distinct lower-end contributions can be heard in a variety of contexts since joining Bates’ trio in 2010. Besides his work as an accomplished jazz player, Petter also experiments with electronics, hip-hop and other forms of popular music, which he combines with his jazz background in his Berlin-based group Koma Saxo.

Kit Downes was an organ scholar at St Peter Mancroft in Norwich before going on to study piano, organ and composition at the Purcell School and the Royal Academy of Music. He recorded and toured widely with the band Empirical while also working with – among others Django Bates and Lee Konitz. Besides Petter Eldh and James Maddren, over the years Kit has frequently collaborated with drummer Sebastian Rochford, saxophonist Tom Challenger and cellist Lucy Railton, who all appear on his last ECM outing Dreamlife Of Debris.

Kitt Downes | Vermillion

ECM Release Date: February 11, 2022

PRE-ORDER

AMOK AMOR (Peter Evans / Christian Lillinger / Petter Eldh / Wanja Slavin) March 2021 Boomslang Records

The provocative band name „Amok Amor“, sounds truly promising, considering the members of this German- American- Swedish formation can certainly not be viewed as a tender loving group. They ride a merciless attack and leave the listener after thirty-six eventful minutes totally exhausted and yet extremely happy behind. Three members of the quartet are well experienced as an already existing trio.

They live in Berlin and have for many years been supporting the city’s jazz life in numerous constellations and with decisive impulses. Wanja Slavin (33) the alto saxophone player and ECHO Jazz Award winner, Swedish bass player Petter Eldh (since 2009 active in Berlin) plus Germany’s most agile and unpredictable drummer, Christian Lillinger (31) recorded with “Starlight” an already rousing album, released under the Suisse label Unit Records.

Ulrich Steinmetzger’s evaluation of this production in the magazine „Jazz Thing: „This CD is a perfect example for the vitality of a never ending young metropolitan jazz scene, constantly moving forward while escaping the experimental hermetic towards integrating various elements deriving from the participant’s musical and other social essences and bringing all of this together in a relaxed and well considered combination“.

This trio, praised by the above mentioned hymn has now engaged in a mutual operation with an excellent and versatile trumpet player, the American Peter Evans (34) who is among other famous for being a long lasting member of the group „Mostly Other People Do The Killing“ (he has meanwhile left the group).

In a quartet, the two Germans, the Swede and the man from the United States developed an enormous spin on their album „Amok Amor“, a contagious and outraging energy and a breathtaking power. Somehow they have internalized the spirit of the wild sixties and yet their music is incorporated in the here and now. It is music drawn out of common categories.

Rhythm is prolonged here and accelerated plus artistically maneuvered and unconventionally accentuated until the bar lines tremble. Barely signalized melody shreds are added while wild and fast themes often tightly embrace the brass players. Incomparable and ludicrous tempi are added by Petter Eldh, Christian Lillinger, Wanja Slavin and Peter Evans in distinct compact pieces with such beautiful titles like „Manipulating II“, „Sons of Angels“, Born As A Socialist“ or „Axis Of The Good“ and which are without any garrulousness despite the immense information tightness.

This over active and yet controlled amok run is not killing – it is reviving! The „Amok Amor” – listeners will moreover question where these four members drew their strength, their motivation, their naturalness, their chuzpe and their incentive.

1. Manipulieren II 03:46

2. Amor 01:27

3. Sons of Engels - Marx 05:41

4. The Resistance 04:54

5. Rowk 05:39

6. Als Sozialist geboren 03:37

7. Mani 3 - Achse des Guten 07:20

8. Amok 04:01

AMOK AMOR are:

Petter Eldh, bass

Christian Lillinger, drums

Wanja Slavin, sax

Peter Evans, trumpet

Pre-order

PUNKT.VRT.PLASTIK Kaja Draklser / Petter Eldh / Christian Lillinger - Somit (March 19, 2021 Intakt Records)

Following their acclaimed 2018 debut album, the band Punkt.Vrt.Plastik, which brings together Kaja Draksler, Petter Eldh and Christian Lillinger, three of the most exciting, profound and versatile musicians on the European jazz scene, presents another stroke of genius. With Somit they take their urgent ensemble playing to new heights, creating a highly individual sound aesthetic with unusual instrumentation (Kaja Draksler plays two different upright pianos) and sophisticated post-production, culminating in a deceptive puzzle of acoustic and manipulated sounds.

"Punkt.Vrt.Plastik have an amazing sound and a unique vision," writes Alexander Hawkins in the liner notes.

1. Helix GA

2. If Asked

3. Membran

4. Natt Raum

5. Amnion

6. Morgon Morfin

7. Fraustadt

8. Somit 

9. Axon

10. Enbert Amok

11. Trboje

12. Ribosome

13. Vrvica

Kaja Draksler: Piano

Petter Eldh: Bass

Christian Lillinger: Drums

Pre-order

Kaja Draksler / Petter Eldh / Christian Lillinger - Punk.Vrt.Plastik (INTAKT RECORDS November 2018)

Kaja Draksler, Petter Eldh and Christian Lillinger are among the most thrilling, deep, and versatile figures to emerge in Europe over the last decade and the music of the trio is nothing less than a hybrid of personalities largely unimaginable if one examined the work of the players outside of this configuration. They knew they had something special right away.

Lillinger and Eldh have been working together for much of the last decade, forming an implacable bond within the wildly agile quartet Amok Amor with trumpeter Peter Evans and saxophonist Wanja Slavin. "We've really found a way to morph and stretch forms and groove, and I feel there's a very strong core between us," says the drummer.

"And Kaja is able to avoid that and deal with it at the same, which means she is able to shape or color things in her own way."

"Some of the pieces are complex and demand accuracy, but on the other hand, none of us are very precious about it," explains Draksler. "So there is inherent freedom … the music and the energy is much more important than correct notes, yet we want to get it right. And there is trust." 

Peter Margasak, Liner notes

Kaja Draksler: Piano

Petter Eldh: Bass

Christian Lillinger: Drums

1. Nuremberg Amok (Lillinger) 4:02

2. Evicted (Draksler) 8:01

3. Punkt Torso (Eldh) 3:59

4. Azan (Lillinger) 5:00

5. Veins (Lillinger) 4:08

6. Body Decline (Eldh) 4:48

7. Plastic (Lillinger) 4:04

8. Momentan (Lillinger) 3:30

9. Life is Transient (Eldh) 4:22

Recorded February 26, 2018, at Loft Cologne by

Christian Heck. Mixed by Martin Waschkowitsch,

Berlin. Mastered by Zino Mikorey, Berlin.

Liner notes: Peter Margasak.

Cover art photo: Edith Ringer. Photo: Ziga Koritnik.

Graphic design: Jonas Schoder. Produced and published

by Intakt Records.

Wanja Slavin Lotus Eaters - Salvation (WHY PLAY JAZZ 2018)

Wanja Slavin (BMW World Jazz Award, Echo Jazz Award) presents his new album, “Salvation” with music that dazzles like the iridescent layers of a rainbow, evoking a radiance and authority – seven compositional gems with an orchestral feeling, rich tonal colors and sophisticated arrangements.

It’s a given that he’s one of the best alto saxophonists in Germany – or anywhere else, for that matter. His play has earned him the commensurate awards – important waystations along Wanja Slavin’s musical journey rather than any sort of existential musical goal. 

The exceptional new album from Slavin and his Lotus Eaters is the best evidence that the bandleader wants more. It’s the reason why he is so meticulous about the music he releases and why he so scrupulously fine-tunes his arrangements; it’s why time and again he alters his band personnel in order to more conclusively encompass the overriding musical ideas.

The music on “Salvation” dazzles like the iridescent layers of a rainbow. Yet it does not intrude on or attempt to overwhelm the listener. It develops its radiant power and authority reflectively, with discipline, devoid of clichés. In listening, one witnesses the burgeoning of something beautiful. Known for his free play in diverse Avant-garde constellations, here Wanja commits to the melodics of song form. Wanja Slavin considers The Lotus Eaters to be his most important band.

Like a gourmet, he seeks out the musicians that best suit his intentions. Thus, this second Lotus Eaters album consists of three recording sessions with alternating lineups and seven musical gems. There is an orchestral feeling to the music, with rich tonal colors and sophisticated arrangements. The solos are delineated, and come quickly and precisely to the particular point, since totally free play would not serve the purpose. Less is more, with pieces that project the feel of thoroughly arranged pop songs, or a kinship to Alfred Schnittke, or they could be the heroes of an imaginary Shorter-Wheeler-Konitz lineup leaning towards a rare multi-dimensional quality. After listening to the music, it’s clear that the particular line-up is essential.

Wanja isn’t one to hide behind his music. In this postmodern period, he has to deal with everything that’s out there. With the Lotus Eaters, he has come a long way in the art of defining and refining the essential. He doesn’t copy and he stays clear of irony. He doesn’t need those crutches because he’s not afraid of standing on his own two feet. 

The music alludes to something precious that goes beyond the six individuals involved and towards a spiritual level in which everything is transformed.

1 Salvation  6:36

2 W.S. 1  6:54

3 Melancholia 1  6:25

4 Melancholia 2  3:51

5 W.S. 2  6:33

6 Moonlight Becomes You  4:48

7 Love Song  3:53

Tom Arthurs (tp)

Erik Kimestad Pedersen (tp)

Wanja Slavin (as, synth)

Philipp Gropper (ts)

Rainer Böhm (p, rhodes)

Andreas Lang (b)

Bernhard Meyer (eb)

Petter Eldh (b, eb, synth)

Ivars Arutyunyan (dr)

Tobias Backhaus (dr)

Nasheet Waits (dr)

Track 1 recorded March 24, 2016 by Falko Duczmal at Forest Studios Steinbeck, Germany. Track 2/3/4 recorded September 28/29, 2016 by Marco Birkner at Casa San Francesco Loft Studios, Italy. Track 5/6/7 recorded January 19, 2017 by Rainer Robben at AudioCue Tonstudios Berlin, Germany. Produced by Wanja Slavin for WhyPlayJazz. Mixed by Marck Fuck. Mastered by Katherine Miller. Photo by Dovile Sermokas. Design and artwork by Travassos. Supported by Initiative Musik gGmbH with project funds from the Federal Government Commissioner for Culture and the Media, Germany.

Concerts 2018

Apr 17, 2018 - Mannheim, DE @ Klapsmühl

Apr 18, 2018 - Köln, DE @ LOFT

Apr 19, 2018 - Berlin, DE @ Orania

Apr 21, 2018 - Pohrsdorf, DE @ Saxstall

Django Bates' & Belovèd - The Study Of Touch (ECM 2017)

British pianist Django Bates returns to ECM with one of his very finest constellations, the trio Belovèd, with Swedish bassist Petter Eldh and Danish drummer Peter Bruun, and an aptly named album, The Study of Touch. All three musicians are highly individual players, subtly challenging the conventions of the jazz piano trio. The group came together a decade ago when Bates was teaching at Copenhagen’s Rhythmic Music Conservatory. The shared work has included inspired reconstructions of pieces associated with Charlie Parker – a formative influence for both Bates and bassist Eldh - and in this new album, Parker’s tune “Passport” is set amid Django originals, and played with respect, contemporary sensibility and joy. Some of Django’s own tunes here – such as “Senza Bitterness”, “Sadness All The Way Down” and “We Are Not Lost, We Are Simply Finding Our Way” have become core pieces in Belovèd’s repertoire, continually remodeled by this trio of improvisers. Bates’ composing and arranging skills are much in evidence, along with his freewheeling, free-flowing virtuosic melodic sense. The terse, percussive edge of Petter Eldh’s bass provides momentum and drummer Peter Bruun details the music with an almost painterly touch. In the crowded world of the piano trio, Belovèd has developed a sound all its own. The Study of Touch was recorded at Oslo’s Rainbow Studio in June 2016, and produced by Manfred Eicher.

01. Sadness All the Way Down

02. Giorgiantics

03. Little Petherick

04. Senza Bitterness

05. We Are Not Lost, We Are Simply Finding Our Way

06. This World

07. The Study of Touch

08. Passport

09. Slippage Street

10. Peonies As Promised

11. Happiness All the Way Up

Django Bates piano

Petter Eldh double bass

Peter Bruun drums

Marius Neset (with Lionel Loueke, Ivo Neame, Petter Eldh, Anton Eger & Jim Hart)– Circle of Chimes (ACT MUSIC 2017)

Amok Amor - We know not what we do (INTAKT RECORDS 2017)

You are gonna love this quartet", writes American journalist Kevin Whitehead. "This quartet was preceded by the Starlight trio of the Berlin players Christian Lillinger, Petter Eldh and Wanja Slavin, but Peter Evans is obviously a full partner in a new band. He brought some prime material, and shows uncanny range. His improvising is airy and abstract, tuneful, and tinged with the blues. His lines and Slavin's can be disarmingly lovely; the blend is bright and fizzy. 

The rhythm section is earth to their air: the nutty precision of abstract beat music echoes in Eldh's eloquent stutters and way of covering highs and lows in a single line, and in Lillinger's clarity at high speed; his sticks on snare can sound like dried peas poured on a metal sheet, every stroke distinct.

Yeah, they're all great, but this music is about how they come together, showing creative tradition some crazy love: amour run amok. Kevin Whitehead, Liner notes

1. Pulsar (Peter Evans) 8:31

2. Body Decline (Petter Eldh) 5:05

3. Brandy (Petter Eldh) 6:02

4. Alan Shorter (Peter Evans) 4:54

5. Trio Amok (Christian Lillinger) 4:05

6. Enbert Amok (Christian Lillinger) 5:18

7. The New Portal (Peter Evans) 6:26

8. Jazzfriendship (Wanja Slavin) 2:28

9. A Run Through the Neoliberalism (Christian Lillinger) 4:03

Christian Lillinger: Drums

Petter Eldh: Bass

Wanja Slavin: Saxophone

Peter Evans: Trumpet

Recorded in May 2016 by Marco Birkner at Studio H2 in Berlin, Germany. Mixed in February 2017 by Marck Fuck. 

Mastered in February 2017 by Klaus Scheuermann. 

Liner notes: Kevin Whitehead. Photo of cover art: László Moholy-Nagy. 

Graphic design: Jonas Schoder. Photo: Lukas Haemmerle. Executive producer: Anja Illmaier.

Produced by Amok Amor and Intakt Records, Patrik Landolt. Published by Intakt Records.