Stefan Pasborg - Ritual Dances (February 11, 2022 Sunnyside Records)

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

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Innanen | Pasborg | Piromalli - This Is It (April 19, 2021 clean feed records)

This is it, indeed. The instrumentation of this album makes everyone curious. Saxophones (sopranino, alto and baritone) plus Hammond organ plus drums. The gathered names are another factor of special interest: Finnish saxophonist Mikko Innanen, French organist (also pianist) Cédric Piromalli and Danish drummer Stefan Pasborg, all of them coming from the first row of their respective scenes, and all of them with international careers, in collaboration with top musicians like Andrew Cyrille, Han Bennink, Andrew Barker, Joe Fonda, Lou Grassi, William Parker, Wadada Leo Smith (Innanen), Daniel Humair, Paul Lovens, Will Guthrie (Piromalli), John Tchicai, Ellery Eskelin, Tim Berne, Michael Formanek, Tomasz Stanko and Ray Anderson (Pasborg). 

The Hammond is key in the group sound, rooted in the history of this instrument in jazz (listen to the grooves and the solid swing of these compositions: amazing!), but also involving other influences, among them the one provided by progressive rock. The foundations and involvements created by the organ couldn’t be better suited to project the suggestive melodies and complex chord changes played by Innanen, and the intense, almost superhuman drumming of Pasborg. Mixing the past and the future results in this: fantastic music of the present.

1. Mocking Bird 07:09

2. Is This It? 07:03

3. Manic Zigaman 02:51

4. Søhesten 04:49

5. Pharoah Favelassa 04:11

6. Sudden Happiness 05:36

7. Autonomus XXVII A: Gneisenaustraße 113 03:02

8. Riding with Cafarelli 05:02

Mikko Innanen alto, baritone and sopranino saxophones

Cedric Piromalli hammond organ

Stefan Pasborg drums

All compositions by Mikko Innanen except 1 by Cedric Piromalli and 3 by Stefan Pasborg

Recorded Feb. 26-27th 2020 in The Village Recording by Thomas Vang | Mixed and mastered in KarmaCrew by John Fomsgaard

Produced by Innanen, Pasborg and Piromalli | Executive production by Pedro Costa for Trem Azul | Design by Travassos

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Ibrahim Electric - The Marathon Concert (Live) SUNT RECORDS 2017

The Marathon Concert (2CD)

   

Den slagkraftige trio Ibrahim Electric var i det

gavmilde hjørne da de d. 8. juli, 2016 bød på en

seks timers koncert med nye versioner af musikken

fra deres seks studieudgivelser. Landets førende

crossover-trio blander opfindsomt, glædesfuldt og

lettere respektløst musik fra hele verden og

gruppens store publikum flipper over trioens

vanvittige fusioner, spillet på baldrende trommer,

forvrænget syreguitar og fræsende Hammond B3-

brus. Det er energisk, underholdende, hamrende

musikalsk og så er det dybt originalt. Trioen, der

blev dannet i 2002, har gjort spillesteder verden

over usikre med deres anarkistiske tilgang til genrer

som afro-beat, blues, funk, surf, jazz og rock – stilarter

som de ubesværet sammenblander til et organisk

hele. Ibrahim Electric er spontane, stramme,

virtuose, punkede og ikke mindst hamrende glade

for at være til stede og Danmarks mest medrivende

jazzensemble - basta!

”Vi gjorde det! Vi overlevede! Vores kroppe

kollapsede ikke, hverken fysisk eller mentalt! Vores

instrumenter smeltede ikke! OG det fantastiske

publikum overlevede også! Nu er vi glade for at

udgive nogle håndplukkede numre fra den særlige

aften i Vega - en souvenir til både os selv, men især

til publikum og til de mange, der ikke kunne

deltage. Vi håber atmosfæren og energien vil forplante

sig for musikken er til jer!” Stefan, Niclas og

Jeppe."

Carsten Dahl Experience (feat. Jesper Zeuthen, Nils Davidsen & Stefan Pasborg) - Caleidoscopia (STORYVILLE RECORDS 2016)

The Carsten Dahl Experience is back with a new album, their fourth since their formation in 2007. It all began when renowned Danish jazz pianist Carsten Dahl decided to gather some of his favorite musicians from the Danish jazz stage for a line-up in what he called a “spiritual and musical vision pointing in a lyrical direction and towards abstract music” - a group whose aim was to grow wings with the creation of music. On Caleidoscopia, they manage to levitate once again.

The Carsten Dahl Experience consists of Carsten Dahl on piano, Jesper Zeuthen on altosax, Nils Davidsen on bass and Stefan Pasborg on drums. Even though they’ll be celebrating their decennial playing together next year, their friendship and understanding of one another doesn’t make their music trivial in any way; rather, it forces them to reach higher and more complicated grounds in order to bring forward musical surprises. It’s improvisational jazz at it’s best: The music multiplies and splits up in colourful patterns and rearranges itself into ever-varying themes and motifs; like the myriad of colours and form-shifting patterns you see when looking through a kaleidoscope.

"The quartet is the closest Denmark comes to having a Jazz super group. Here, Dahl's music gets the response it requires. [...]. It's in the contrasts between quiet moments and explosive instants that the album finds its greatest strengths. According with the album title, beauty appears kaleidoscopically in a wealth of musical colours."

Politiken, 22. november 2016

Carsten Dahl (piano)

Jesper Zeuthen (alto sax)

Nils Davidsen (bass)

Stefan Pasborg (drums)

01. Nora

02. Furious

03. Caleidoscopia

04. The Canvas

05. STOP please STOP

06. Outside from the Inside

07. I'm Calling

08. Experience This!

09. Beautiful

Dawda Jobarteh / Stefan Pasborg – duo: Dawda Jobarteh & Stefan Pasborg – duo (2016) ILK Music

present

Dawda Jobarteh / Stefan Pasborg – duo: Dawda Jobarteh  & Stefan Pasborg – duo (2016)

This is a meeting between two gentlemen from two different music cultures, and from two different continents. Together they create a melting-pot of styles mixed together into an output based on their mutual love for strong rhythmical shapes, beautiful melodies and the pure energy in music. Each of them brings compositions from their past and present, and the result is this powerful and unique release!

STEFAN PASBORG (Denmark) One of the most personal and versatile young European drummers / bandleaders – from groove to abstract! Three time Danish Music Awards-winner Stefan Pasborg is a highly energetic drummer from the melting pot of Copenhagen, and after getting a snare drum, a cymbal and a high-hat at the age of three from renowned jazz drummer Alex Riel, he has developed into a very personal musician on the European jazz scene... And has toured the most of Europe and in USA, Canada, Africa and Asia - in more than 30 countries, on 5 continents, from Shanghai to Vancouver, from Monte-Carlo to Moscow, from Varanger to Casablanca, and from New York to São Paulo - both as a leader and as a sideman. ... Pasborg has won prices like f.ex. the Soloist-prize at ʻ16th European Jazz Contestʼ in Germany, the 1st Prize at ʻ5th European Tournament of Improvised Musicʼ in France, ʻJazznytprisenʼ in Denmark...

DAWDA JOBARTEH (Gambia): Dawda Jobarteh was born in the Gambia in 1976 in a griot family. He started playing the drums at age seven and from age 12 he started to go and play concerts with his uncle Malamin Jobarteh and his cousins Pa Bobo Jobarteh and Tata Dindin Jobarteh’s Salaam Band. Around this time he also started to teach tourists playing the drums. In 1996 Dawda was on his first tour outside West Africa in France and Germany, and in 1997 he was on a big tour arranged by WOMAD. In 1999 Dawda moved to Denmark where he is still living. In Denmark Dawda took up his family instrument, the kora and little by little made it his main instrument. Today Dawda is mainly a kora player and composer inspired by both traditional and modern West African music as well as influences from all over the world. In 2011 Dawda released his debutalbum Northern Light Gambian Night which was evaluated as one of the best albums of the year by Songlines. In 2012 the album was nominated as best album at Danish Music Awards World.

Dawda Jobarteh, kora

Stefan Pasborg, drums

01. Better Get Hit in Your Soul

02. Dancing in Your Head

03. A Change Has Come

04. Mali

05. Kaira

06. Bells

07. Mopti

08. Marlong

09. Sundiata

BUY THIS ALBUM

DAWDA JOBARTEH / STEFAN PASBORG - - DUO from STIX on Vimeo.