Horse Orchestra is a very special band on the modern Nordic jazz scene. The band members succeed in combining parts of the history of jazz with modern barrier-breaking musical experiments. In Horse Orchestra's universe classical 1920s New Orleans meet 1960s freejazz as well as hiphop and modern classical music, and it all ends up in an original, post-modern style that has no equivalent on the Nordic jazz scene.
Horse Orchestra consists of seven young musicians from Iceland, Sweden, Norway and Denmark, and the band is a testimony to a new generation of musicians who master their musical historical legacy and try to help modern jazz music reach new heights. For Horse Orchestra humor is just as important an element as the instrumental equilibrism and the compelling compositions. In this way, the humorous and flourishing music is so infectious that you happily engage with the orchestra's occasionally extreme tonal experiments....
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Horse Orchestra is a very special band on the modern Nordic jazz scene. The band members succeed in combining parts of the history of jazz with modern barrier-breaking musical experiments. In Horse Orchestra's universe classical 1920s New Orleans meet 1960s freejazz as well as hiphop and modern classical music, and it all ends up in an original, post-modern style that has no equivalent on the Nordic jazz scene.
Horse Orchestra consists of seven young musicians from Iceland, Sweden, Norway and Denmark, and the band is a testimony to a new generation of musicians who master their musical historical legacy and try to help modern jazz music reach new heights. For Horse Orchestra humor is just as important an element as the instrumental equilibrism and the compelling compositions. In this way, the humorous and flourishing music is so infectious that you happily engage with the orchestra's occasionally extreme tonal experiments.
The orchestra's debut album, Living the Dream (2014) was rewarded two Danish Music Awards in the categories New name of the year and Special release of the year. The jury said:
This band consists of young musicians who have no respect for conventions. They do as they please without looking to what other musicians do. One moment they may plunge into New Orleans compositions from the 1920’s, and the next moment jazz from 1960’s Chicago, playing both styles with equal conviction – while at the same time adding to the music a personal and original touch.
In October 2016 Horse Orchestra released their second album, Four Letter Word, to great reviews. In June 2018 the band will release a video EP.
Horse Orchestra has performed in Denmark, Norway, Iceland, Germany, England, Serbia, Hong Kong and China.
A fantastic group, who indiviually and collectively deliver with impressive virtuosity and subtlety.
- Berlingske Tidende
Living the Dream is a fine and fun introduction to a party band whose performances almost negate Scandinavians’ reputation for humorlessness. At the same time the soloists’ strength and the arrangements’ sophistication suggest investigating the players’ style in less raucous
surroundings.
- jazzword.com
By virtue of it's sublime musicianship, the album is a piece of riveting modern jazz with an underlying chaos.
- JazzSpecial
Horse Orchestra er en ægte smeltedigel. Bandet bestar af musikere fra Norge, Sverige, Danmark og Island, og musikken er en fusion af traditionel jazz, hiphop, noise, barok og fri improvisation - altsammen præsenteret med fyrig rock'n'roll-attitude. Bandet er et vidnesbyrd om en ny generation i nordisk jazz som har styr pa deres musikhistorie og som samtidig formår at åbne musikken op for et langt bredere publikum.
20'ernes New Orleans møder 60'ernes freejazz tilsat hiphop - med afstikkere til rock og renæssancemusik - og skaber et originalt, humoristisk, postmodernistisk udtryk som rækker langt ud over jazzmusikken. For Horse Orchestra er humor lige så vigtigt som den instrumentalistiske ekvilibrisme og de overbevisende kompositioner. Lytteren bliver på den måde vidne til en humoristisk og livsglad musikalsk fest som er så smittende at man med glæde lader sig indhylle i alle gruppens ofte ekstreme klanglige eksperimenter.
Bandets første album, Living the Dream (2014) vandt to priser ved Danish Music Awards med begrundelsen:
Bandet bestar af unge musikere, som ikke har nogen respekt for konventionerne. De gør akkurat, hvad de vil uden at skele til, hvad andre musikere gør. De kan kaste sig ud i en New Orleans-komposition fra 1920’erne i det ene øjeblik og jazz fra Chicago fra 60’erne i næste og spille begge stilarter med lige stor overbevisning – samtidig med at de tilfører musikken et personligt og originalt præg.
I 2016 udkom Horse Orchestras andet album Four Letter Word til begejstrede anmeldelser, og bandet arbejder i øjeblikket på en video-EP.
Horse Orchestra har optrådt i Danmark, Norge, Island, Tyskland, England, Serbien, Hong Kong og Kina.
Event organized by Christiania Jazz Club
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