Sunna Gunnlaugs Trio - Ancestry (2018)

This is the fourth album I've done with my Iceland-based trio and it's the first time we've added another musician to the mix. The Finnish trumpeter Verneri Pohjola has been on my radar for a few years and we had been in touch about possibly working together at some point. When the trio was invited to Finland to play at the Tampere Jazz Happening, I knew that was the opportunity we'd been waiting for. After our performance in Tampere we went to the studio at the Sibelius Academy near Helsinki to record and stay for a couple of days. It was wonderful... sauna and all.

Sunna Gunnlaugs (piano)

Þorgrímur Jónsson (double bass)

Scott McLemore (drums)

guest:

Verneri Pohjola

1. Atlantic Lullaby 04:46

2. Ancestry 08:28

3. Spin 12 01:13

4. Movimiento 02:23

5. February 04:57

6. January 06:16

7. Spin 13 01:20

8. A Major Deal 05:19

9. Tricycle 05:52

10. Emu 05:40

11. Spin 14 01:32

12. Wake Me Up Before You Go Go 04:30

13. November 04:48

Produced by Sunna Gunnlaugs and Scott McLemore. Recorded November 5th and 6th 2017 by Markus Bonsdorff at Kallio-Kuninkala Studios, Sibelius Academy in Finland. Mixed and mastered by Kjartan Kjartansson in Reykjavík, Iceland. 

Design by d-steam.com. 

Cover Photo by Amy Nicolazzo. Band photo and Pohjola’s hands by Maarit Kytöharju, other hand photos by Sigurdór Guðmundsson. 

Verneri Pohjola appears courtesy of Edition Records.

Sunna Gunnlaugs and Maarten Ornstein - Unspoken (2016)

Label: Self Released

Source: Jazz Amsterdam

This Dutch-Icelandic duo originated on Twitter, earned immediate praise and will now release its first album full of spatial, transparent interplay. ‘A beautiful couple’.
It clicked instantly when Icelandic pianist Sunna Gunnlaugs and bass clarinet player Maarten Ornstein exchanged messages on Twitter in early 2013. That summer they already played their first concert at Reykjavik Jazz Festival, one day after their first encounter in person. They liked playing together and the reactions were amazing, so they decided to continue as a duo. Last fall in Iceland they recorded an album with mostly original compositions. Their music is spatial, transparent and unconstrained. The CD entitled Unspoken will be presented at the Bimhuis.
‘Musically they form a beautiful couple, with flexible interplay and completely equal roles. Ornstein manages to create the sound that identifies the bass clarinet as such a magical instrument. Gunnlaugs gives the piano a friendly face and evokes power when necessary’ (het Parool).

1. One o'clock 02:00
2. Lucky 06:21
3. Misterioso 06:42
4. Unspoken 04:21
5. Crab Canon 04:53
6. Three o'clock 02:01
7. Re havi 03:21
8. La ter There Will Be Cake 05:04
9. Tear (as in wear) 06:05
10.Compliments 05:01
11.Little Rootie Tootie 02:5612.
12.Six o'clock 01:46
   

Sunna Gunnlaugs - piano
Maarten Ornstein - bass clarinet  

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